I should go this morning to the seventh, the past morning that we've been together, we considered the high priest as he was called and closed for glory and for beauty. We took a look at our great high priest, the Lord Jesus, as he was a priest that was consecrated, just like the priest of old, only in a far greater, fuller way, for he ministered in a tabernacle that was in the heavens. We took a look at the picture of the priest as he ministered in an earthly tabernacle. And then we took a look at the Lord Jesus as he ministered in a far greater tabernacle, and as he went into the holy place, into the presence of God for us. And then on yesterday, or the day before yesterday, on the Lord's day, we considered our great high priest, who was touched with the feelings of our infirmities. that he was tried in all points like as we are sin apart. And because he was that, because he was a sympathetic high priest, because he went in for us and then could come out to bless us, now we need to go in to the throne, to the throne of grace, to find grace to help and mercy in a time of need. Grace certainly for that help that's needed day by day in the trials. and then mercy for sin, for that's what mercy was for. He is a high priest who ministers to us. Now we have this morning in chapter seven a look at the high priest as he's called not after the earthly order of Aaron, but after a heavenly order that of Melchizedek. And we're brought before us our high priest in the sense of being a king. a king of righteousness and a king of peace, a king on a throne. Let's read a portion of this chapter. For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priests of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being by interpretation king of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is King of Peace. Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made, like unto the Son of God, abiders a priest continually. Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. and verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law. That is of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham. But he whose descent is not counted from them that receives tithes of Abraham blessed him that had the promises. And without all contradiction the left is blessed, of the better. And here men that die receive tithes. But there he receiveth them of whom it is witness that he liveth. And as I may say, Levi also, who receives tithes, paid tithes in Abraham. For he was yet in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthoods, for under it the people received the law. What further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchizedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed there is made of necessity a change of law also, for he of whom these things were spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah, of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning the priesthood. For it is yet far more evident, for that after the similitude of Noah's edict there arises another priest, who is made not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. For he testifies, thou art a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek. For there is verily a disannulling of the commandments, going before, for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did. By the which we draw nigh unto God, and inasmuch as not without an oath he was made a priest. For those priests were made without an oath. But this with an oath, by him that said unto him, The Lord swear and will not repent. Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. By so much were Jesus made of a surety of a better testament. And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death. But this man, because he continues ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. They have sent before us an Old Testament person, his name Melchizedek, and an Old Testament king, Abraham. As Abraham had gone out to do battle for a man who was his nephew, and for a man who found his life in the world, and his name was Lot. Interesting that Lot chose his life in the world. And you know, as Lot lived there in that city, We see how his heart was drawn out to the city in contrast to a man whose heart was drawn to God. Just like to look at this for a moment. You see, Lot, when he stood over the well-watered plains of Jordan with Abraham, it should have really been his portion as an oriental when Abraham said, Go ahead, Lot, take your choice. There's no use for us to have difficulties together. We be brothers. You take your choice. What you want, you and your husband can go one way, and mine will go the other. And I'll take what you don't want. Lot, as an Oriental, should have really said, Father Abraham, you take what is your desire, and I will take that which remains. But Lot, because his heart was in the world, and his desires were drawn toward it, all he could see was the well-watered plains of Jordan. Lot did not see through spiritual eyes. Lot saw through the eyes of flesh, and Lot could only see what was before him. But Abraham had a remembrance of that which was to be his. And so in the generosity of that, it all being his, he could say, Lot, take your pick and Lot did. And it wasn't too long until Lot was in the city of Sodom. And when he found in this place, There's one certainly who can take all those things of the earth that we get a hold of. They're in the realm of Satan and in his Satan and Satan's domain. So it isn't long when the kings come along and take a lot of work. And when they're gone away, it requires the spiritual to recover that which is fallen. There's a good point there for those who are elders and shepherds of the sheep. because this is a principle that God has carried through through his word. He says in the book of Galatians chapter six and verse one, that it's when a brother is overtaken in a fall, that ye which are spiritual restore such a one and do it in the spirit of meekness, with the understanding that you yourself could fall. And I believe in spiritual Abraham. when he turns back and it restores that or restores life. This is the desire that he had for a fallen one who already had made his choice in that area. But Abraham, realizing one he had done, still went out to rescue him and to bring him back. Now it's a good thing in our local assembly. And I'm going to stop here to push it for just a moment. When the shepherds of the sheep and when the spiritual see the fallen ones, that they're willing to go and to restore. That's the work of the shepherd of the sheep, the work of restoration. It takes a spiritual man, though, and a spiritual woman, because if they're not spiritual, then they come with that critical attitude. And there isn't the work of restoration, because it's done in a critical way. But my, when it's done in meekness, and it's done in humility, and it's done with that idea that I could fall, and so in this sense of my own weakness, I can restore. I want you to know the work of I great high priest, as he ministers for us, was a ministry of restoration of the fallen one. And certainly when you and I went out away from God, he went to that limit of entering into death for us. and offer himself, offering himself as that sacrifice for our sins. And now he ministers in the heavens, in a ministry such as that. And he has compassion and pity upon the fallen one. The same principle that there in the Word of God, he carries out himself as our great high priest. Today we need to be more pitiable toward one another. And we have a God hideable toward us. It amazes my heart as I've grown up, and I've watched my older brethren as my younger brethren watch me. And I see so many times a hardness, a letter of the law, rather than a realization of the fear of it that we ought to practice. The command is to love. And the command is to love even as you've been loved. The command is to forgive even as you've been forgiven. When Abraham went to restore, he did it even one lot, going astray from the path that he sure had taken. Abraham in mercy went after him with his own household. But now Abraham is shown as the spiritual man. as he goes and Melchizedek meets them in the West. And how does Melchizedek meet them? He meets them with a symbol of sacrifice, bread and water. And in that ministry to Abraham, Abraham is so fed by it. He is so fed by that ministry that when the king of Sodom says, Go ahead, Abraham. Take this oil. Take what you want. Abraham says, no. Not so much of a shoelace. Not so much of a shoelace will I take from you. No earthly king is ever going to be able to say he made Abraham rich. How could he say that? Abraham could say that because he had been ministered unto by Melchizedek. and he had been ministered with the symbols of sacrifice, the bread and wine. And so Abraham stood as a spiritual man, fed, that had meat that Lot knew nothing about, and the kings of Israel, or the king of Sodom, pardon me, knew nothing about Israel. He had something there that he had been fed by. Who was it that ministered to? Melchizedek. A man we don't read much about only to take here in the New Testament a pipe and a picture. And I like this because so many times we're rebuked for taking Old Testament pictures and pipes and saying, this is what it reveals to us. Well, I'm glad here that the Lord himself did that in his work. And he does it many times. And it's a good thing, I think, in going back into the Old Testament, when we take a type, to have a New Testament anti-type and say, there it is, is one thing to say, this is a type, and here's the anti-type, and it's another thing to say, here's a picture, and here's something that could fulfill that picture. We have many of those in the Old Testament. But when it comes to type, it's good when we can say, Christ is the Passover lamb, isn't it? And I can say that without a doubt, because in the Old Testament I had the picture of the Passover. And in the New Testament in First Corinthians chapter five and verse seven, I have Paul saying, for even Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us. And so I have a title. and an anti-type in Christ there. And I have a type here in Melchizedek. And I have the anti-type in Christ. You see, bless your heart. We've got something here in the Word of God that can say definitely to us, the Lord Jesus Christ was the anti-type of Melchizedek. Melchizedek was someone that God gave to us. that was one day going to present a picture to us, a type of the fuller one, the anti-type the Lord Jesus. And so in Melchizedek, he doesn't make any bones about saying his name, what it meant. And you know, sometimes we take names from the word of God, and we make a study of the name, don't we? Well, here he's given us authority to do it. And so when I look at Melchizedek, he's a priest of the Most High God, who ministered to Abraham. from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him. And Abraham gave him a tenth part of all. He ministered to him. And then he was by interpretation his name meant king of righteousness. The place he was king of was Phalem. So now we have Melchizedek, Hype, king of righteousness, and king of Phalem. As the king of righteousness, his realm, his throne was in righteousness. And when we look at the Lord Jesus Christ, that's what his throne is in, is in righteousness. Now when the Lord Jesus came to this earth, if God would have judged him in his righteousness, he would have taken him immediately right back to heaven. But because Christ came to be the sacrifice for sinners, He judged him in my righteousness. And what is our righteousness? Oh, Isaiah says there is filthy rags. There is filthy rags in the sight of God. So many times I think of, I wonder what the fullness of that meant. And I think of the purity of a bride and the loveliness of the gown that she has on. If you took that lovely white pure gown, and took it out and drugged it through the mire and then dressed her in. How would she be presented to a bridegroom? It wouldn't be a very pretty picture, would it? It would have all, if it took the vilest things that you could imagine on this earth and put that gown into it. That's how God says our righteousnesses are as filthy rats. There was a man in the city of Davenport One day preaching on that text, he was sitting in the audience, and I was preaching on that text, and he got very angry at me. I could see it in his face, and all the way home he railed on his wife. How could he stand up there and preach that our righteousnesses are as filthy rags? How does he know what I can do and what is good about me and what's not good about me? Well, when I heard the man was doing it, I decided I might as well give him the opportunity to tell me about it. And so I went to visit him. Of course, he wasn't as loud to me as he was to his wife, but he sat down and he told me what he was thinking, and I had a chance to show him. This is what God says, not what Ray Routley says. And the very best I could bring in the flesh to God is a filthy rat. And you see, when Christ came God didn't judge him in his righteousness. In the righteousness of the Lord Jesus, as I said, he would take him into heaven. But he judged them in my righteousness. He judged them for my sins. And then when Christ entered into that death, because he himself was righteous, death could not claim him. He paid the penalty for your sin and mine. But death could not claim him until he ascended... onto hot. And he sat himself down at the right hand of the majesty on hot on the throne of God. And he sits there as king of righteousness. As king of righteousness. You know, when we think of the throne of grace, we don't really think of a throne of judgment, do we? No, we think of a throne that's going to minister to us that which we don't deserve. But that throne is still justice and judgment. You know, the throne of God, according to the eighty-nine psalm, and I believe verse fourteen, he says, Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne. Mercy and truth go before thy faith. Have you ever thought what opposites they are? Have you ever thought about them? Justice and judgment, first of all. Oh, you know, if we have those two things in our country today, We wouldn't be reading about what we read in the paper this morning. And the reason that this throne will stand forever is because it is just in judgment. And the reason that our country is going to go down the drain is because there is no justice in the judgment that's brought. This comes to mind. Ecclesiastes, I'd like to just throw this out to you. The book of Ecclesiastes, I think it's chapter eight. And verse eleven, I think this is a principle of God that is not being fulfilled in our land today. And because it is not being fulfilled in our land, we're going down the drain. Chapter eight, verse eleven. Because sentence against an evil work is not executed eagerly. Do you get that? Because sentence against an evil work is not executed eagerly. Therefore, the heart of the sons of men is fully setting them to do evil. We've taken away the death penalty, and because we took away the death penalty, and there isn't a judgment that is executed speedily, the men who have evil hearts are only continuing to do evil without any fear of judgment. We've got a man in the city of Chicago. His name was Spence. I think that's what his name was. And some years ago he murdered about eight nurses. That man lives to death, and with a few years he stands every possibility of being set free on the streets of Chicago. Set free. We've got a man who stood with a gun before the cameras of TV and murdered one of our senators. And we spend thousands upon thousands upon thousands of dollars, twenty-five thousand to protect him alone. Not saying what went into the trials and all the rest. To protect a man who should have had a judgment brought against him a just judgment. A just judgment that went according to this word of God. Because he shed blood, his blood should be shed. And so, you see, the throne in heaven that the king of righteousness sets on is a just throne. It's a just throne. It was just, and God was just in setting a vile sinner like me free. He was just because he judged his son for it. And if he ever turned and judged me for my sin, he would not be a just God. It would be a double jeopardy. He would have twice judged for the same sin. But I'm still glad. That's the reason I can preach the gospel with confidence. That's the reason I can testify how to adjust God because he judged his sin. That's the reason I can rejoice in a priest and an advocate who ministers in the heavens for me. Because he said if I would come confessing my sin, he is faithful and this is the word I love, he is just. in forgiving myself. Ah, I think that's the best word in adverse. He judged in forgiving myself because he judged himself. Oh, there's a king on his throne, a righteous king, and he judges justice and judgment. Oh, but look at mercy and truth. There's two opposites, aren't there? Wow, what two opposites go, though? You don't believe they're opposite? Get out on the street out here. There's truth posted beside that street. It says, thirty-five miles an hour. Perhaps a little more out here. Thirty? Okay, thirty miles an hour. Now, if you don't believe that, just go driving down there and exceed that truth. And when you exceed that truth, there's going to be judgment brought. Not mercy, judgment. Because truth was broken. And you see, when you and I as sinners went against the truth of God, we disobeyed and we went in our own way. Oh, then there was judgment to come. And it would be a just God to bring that judgment. But now there was mercy before it came. And it's of his mercies that were not consumed. So out of a heart of a merciful God, he showed grace. He showed grace. And he sent his son. And that's what we read. For by grace are you saved through faith. And that not of yourselves is the gift of God. Not of worthless any man should boast. You see? Ah, mercy. Now let me take the example of this. I had a friend once who broke the law. He's a preacher friend, mine. He's now in heaven. Now he went through a stoplight. And when he broke the law, he just drove a little ways beyond. He was a fairly elderly man then. He saw this little red light in the mirror. And when that red light came over, he pulled over and the officer said to him, did you see that you went through that stop sign and that you broke the law? And my friend said to him, well, if you say so, then I broke the law. And he said, I didn't see it, but if you say it, must be. And the man saw the Bible then, and he said, are you a preacher? He said, yes, I am. He said, well, what do you have to say for yourself? And my friend said, mercy. And the officer looked at him, and he said, well, I guess if we had more mercy toward one another, we'd be better off. He said, go your way, but be more careful in your God. Now, we might say, in one sense, you should have mercy. But now, if we look at it in the sense of God showing mercy, I want to show you what that policeman would have done. He would have written my friend out a ticket, and he would have handed him that ticket and said, Here is a ticket to the wage because of the offense that you have brought in breaking the law. And he would have withdrawn his hand and let my friend hold that ticket. And then he would have said, But because I would like to show mercy, I will take the ticket, and I will fall. That's what the Lord Jesus did for us, isn't it? The way to sin was death. That was against me. That was the offense. I broke it. I was against God. Contrary to God. That was against me. But now the Lord Jesus came. And he said, I'll take the offense. And I'll pay the penalty. And he did. He died. The way you've seen his death. Oh, beloved, if you're sitting here this morning, and you've never seen the Lord Jesus as a savior, then look at it in that light, see? Of what he did in taking your penalty, he came. The offense broke, and went contrary to the truth of God's word. And because we did that, there was a way Death. But now Christ came. He took it. So he said it's free. He said it's free. When we believe, see, if my friend would have said, Oh, no, I couldn't let you pay my ticket. I just don't believe you should really do that. He'd have kept the ticket, and he would have had to pay it, wouldn't he? He thought he was salvation. If you refuse to believe that the Lord Jesus could pay yourself, and you won't let him pay you death, you have to bear. The day is yours. He's a righteous king. He sits on a throne. And that throne is justice and judgment. Mercy and truth go before his face. Now he was the king of Israel. And that king of peace. See? King of peace. And that's what he is. Health. When the work of righteousness is done, then peace is the effect. Let me throw out a verse to you. Oh. Isaiah chapter thirty-two, verse seventeen. I think that verse goes this way. The work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effects of righteousness shall be quietness and assurance forever. Now, if we take a look at it in this life, when righteousness did its work, the work of righteousness is peace, and the effect of righteousness is quietness and assurance. So when we receive the Lord Jesus Christ, oh, we receive one whose throne is righteous, and he gives peace to those who believe that he bore their judgment, and he will impede righteousness because of faith. And so now we can abide in peace. He is king of righteousness and king of peace. Now I think in the eighty-fifth psalm in verse ten, righteousness and peace are met together. See? Yes. I think I've got that verse a little bit wrong. Better look. Sometimes my tongue gets a bit twisted and all of a sudden my mind won't say whether that's right or wrong. Mercy and truth are met together. Hmm. and righteousness and peace to Jesus. Mercy and truth met together, and righteousness and peace to Jesus. Now, mercy and truth were two opposites, and yet they're met together where they came each. Well, I think Calvary is the place they met. There's where mercy and truth came together. There's where truth demanded judgment. And that judgment was performed on the Lord Jesus Christ. And now through Calvary he could show mercy. And through Calvary righteousness and peace could assist each other. They're brought together. And so now we can go back to Isaiah thirty two seventy. The work of righteousness shall be peace. And the effect of righteousness, quietness, and assurance forever. Now you take a look at the Lord Jesus. Who was it? Isaiah nine six says who he was, this verse that we love at first this time. Under what the child is born, under what the son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. He's Prince of Peace. He's the author of peace. He's the author of peace. It was effective through the cross. And that again is what he tells us in Colossians chapter one. He says in Colossians once he effected peace through the blood of his cross. Oh, bless your heart. If you see it in the sense that as a sinner I was at enmity with God and I was against God. And when Christ came and he stood between God and me and God put my sin on his son and he judged it then. He effected peace. He's at death. Peace. He could satisfy the just demand of the throne of God and make peace for the king. And then the Lord Jesus could say, Oh, peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you. Not as the world give it. I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled. Neither land be afraid. This is a great high priest. King of righteousness, he must be. Therefore, being justified by faith, we are pleased with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, the effective peace through the blood of his cross. He wants you at peace, and that's why he takes up the intercessory work of the great high priest. He wants us at peace. He wants us enjoying life. Oh, my heart convicts me so many times when I'm sitting and thinking and all of a sudden things that are negative begin to crowd in. And I begin to be heavy. And then suddenly he turns my mind back. He did work. And what he's doing today. And then he lifts my heart. And I can have peace. Because I know no matter how difficult things look here. In trials for me. Or loneliness. Or infirmity. Or what it might be. He's been touched with it all. Huh. He's been touched with it all. and he ministers to our hearts. Isn't it wonderful? Aren't you thrilled this morning as you sit here? And we look at the word of God and know, you've got a king. Yes, a king of righteousness and a king of peace. And he ministers in righteousness and peace. Now, when Melchizedek came on the scene, We don't read anything that he had father or mother. There wasn't anything before him. We don't read of any of his descent or anything else. But when we come to the Levitical priesthood, we do go. In the Levitical priesthood in Ezra's day, wow. He said, okay, you're going back into the priesthood as we take it up. Prove your genealogy. Let's see your genealogy. Let's see what tribe you belong to. Let's see if you were really one of the sons of Aaron. Let's bring it out. And you know, there were some of them couldn't prove it. And so they could no longer be a priest. They had to leave. Oh, but here, our priest, our great high priest, he didn't have a beginning or end. He had no genealogist. He was the ancient of days. He's the Alpha and the Omega. He's the first. And he's the last. He stands as a high priest who abides forever. So ministers continued. It was a priesthood after Melchizedek's order, a greater order than an Aaronic priesthood. And he said, you can see this because Abraham, when Melchizedek came onto the scene, Abraham gave a hint of all that he had to Melchizedek. Now he says, Aaron and the Aaronic priesthood, they were sons of Abraham. They were in Abraham in his loins. They were Abraham's seed. They were in him. When Abraham ministered to Melchizedek, when he offered a sacrifice to Melchizedek. So if Aaron was in Abraham when he offered the sacrifice to Melchizedek, then it's of necessity. Then the lesser offered to the greater. Therefore the Melchizedek priesthood was greater than the Aaronic priesthood. It has to be. So now when I look back and I see the rabbinical priesthood, well that was God. He gave it. And that was for Israel. in that time. Oh, but when Christ came, he came now of a greater priesthood. And because the greater priesthood is here, then it's of this ethic that the Old Covenant, the Old Testament pass away. Because now we have the greater, we have the fulfillment of it in the Lord Jesus Christ. So I don't have to look back to an erotic priesthood, to a priesthood of the people. I have one call after the order of Melchizedek. one who does not have the favor of Aaron, because Aaron died. Well, either died, and so they went right on to the Lord, and they died. And you know, we have them dying all the way down, and so we have Caiaphas and Anus, as they were high priests at the time of the Lord Jesus. And when the high priest was there that day, instead of hearing of them dying, What do I read? He had a garment on, a garment that when they made it was told to put a binding in it so that the robe could never be read. And I do not recall, I may be wrong in this, but I do not recall of ever reading of a high priest rending his garment until I read of the high priest standing before the Lord Jesus, asking him, Are thou the Christ? the son of the living God. And it's impressed that who he was and that priest who ran to God. That was the end of the priesthood. And when that Lord Jesus died on the cross for him and that veil was rent, there was an opening to the very horriest of all. Imagine that priest as he came that day And he had the wave sheet, the sheet of the first fruit that he cut down. And he goes in and he goes to wave it before the Lord. And he looks at that red veil while fear must have drifted up as he looks into the holiest of all. But one amazement when he didn't drop dead for a minute. A new and a living way has been opened through the veil. that is to say, the flesh of the Lord Jesus. Keep the old path to death because the new, the perfect son of God came, died and took up the world. My, how we can rejoice this morning? A king, a king of righteousness, of peace, ministry as our great high priest. Where? In that earthly tabernacle now, in heaven, in the presence of God for us. Wonderful. And where did the high priest in our picture a couple days back carry his people on the breastplate and on the shoulders? And this morning, there is he carrying his people in the presence of God. Trump. Oh, what a high priest. I don't know if that's thrilled your heart like a deathmine. But read that. To know he's there in the heavens. Knowing my frailty, my weakness is. And taking up for me. There in the presence of God for us. He says, Who is made in verse sixteen. Not after the law of eternal commandment. but after the power of an endless life. He'll never pass away. Never, never, never. He was made not after Aaron's orders, but after Melchizedek orders. No beginning, no ending. And he's made in the power of an endless life. He's going to minister for it, truly. Amen, amen, amen, amen. Wonderful. that he loved us and gave himself for us. And now that he lived for us during the unfinished year, administering for us in the presence of God. Oh, Father, we bless you. For this thy son, we bless you for your throne that he came from, that he left that precious glory. And surely he was king of glory. Oh, you've taught us that in your words, that one day as he returns in that earthly glory. But they will say to us, the gates, lift up your heads, O ye gates, lift them up, the everlasting doors, and the king of glory shall come in. Who is the king of glory, the Lord of hosts? He's king of glory. But this morning we see him as our great high priest who ministers, and our father we thank you. that's in righteousness and peace. And we're blessed to be for all that work that he does for us day by day and moment by moment, touched with the feeling of our infirmity apart from sin. Oh God, draw a heart out in these thoughts. Multiply them to our heart. Give us a desire to learn more of sin. But as our desire here would to be learned more of them than the things of the earth would grow dim, and our hearts would be more desired of seeing them, and therefore looking for that coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and knowing in that day there will be a crown of righteousness ministered to. Paul could say, not to me only, but to all them also. that shall love his appearing. Give your word for your glory, we pray, for Jesus Christ, for Jesus. Amen.