What is the order of Melchizedek?
Hebrews 7 11 If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also. 13 He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. 14 For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. Luke 20 1 One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. 2 “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?” 3 He replied, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me: 4 John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin?” 5 They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.” 7 So they answered, “We don’t know where it was from.” 8 Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.” (Luke 20:1-8)
A. What is this order (authority)?
tax'-is Order
Everything is in the right place, arranged or placed in a deliberate, detailed, fixed (appointed) order.
Every person is of the highest character, fashioned in God’s image, has supreme quality and significance, and carries the aura and style of Christ.
“For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Col. 1:16,17)
This order is very real and fully active in my world. In fact, he is the reason why it exists.
It is eternal. It’s essential nature never changes, and it has no beginning and no end. It consistently exists within and beyond limitations of time and space. Time is merely an intermission and space a segment of God’s sovereign and eternal order.
Melchizedek belonged to an order in which there was no end to the priesthood of those engaged in it – a succession of priest-kings that had both predecessors and successors. It is contained in God in eternity and was initiated on earth in creation. Adam was the first in that order and, if sin had not entered, that order would have continued.
However, despite sin, this theocratic order continued in grace, love, and mercy with Noah, Melchizadeck, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Godly men and women, Jesus, His disciples, and all who are in Christ who come under his Lordship.
John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits a before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. (Rev. 1:4-6)
B. Thesis
My world may still appear to be under the influence of the fall of man, and it is, at least in some sense. Yet, in a fuller sense, it is actually under the authority of the one who is in me, who “is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4b)
As I contemplate the Lord’s glory, the glory that exists in all worlds and at all times, the reality of God’s order in my world becomes the dominant one. Its splendor becomes my focus, and its grandeur becomes my main impetus. Consequently, the quality of my days is enriched and the effect of my life is magnified.
C. God’s Order in My World
Everything inside and outside space and everything within and beyond time is ordered by God. Everything that was, is and is to come, exists and is contained by God’s divine regime. The event of the birth of Jesus in a cattle stall in Bethlehem simply gave physical evidence of a kingdom and an order that has been and will be in place forever. And, through his death on Calvary, his resurrection from the dead, his glorification at the right hand of the Father, and his being poured out in the form of Holy Spirit on The Day of Pentecost, he has established a theocratic order in my world (sphere of influence). No matter how mundane or messy …
1. My world is under the strong influence of this order.
The full power and capacity of Almighty God is here and now. As he has caused things to happen and as he has affected and will continue to affect the universe eternally, he will do so here and now. He will, and without apparent effort or shift in posture. He will – because he is. Spiritual and moral energy emanate from him simply because he exists, and my world is under the strong influence of his presence.
2. My world receives all the rights of this order.
Every event in my day and every circumstance I face must adhere to God’s lawful authority. Where my rights and the rights of those I love are violated, his order is the support needed, and what I am entitled to, his order ensures that I get it. In God’s order,
· What I rightfully own I will keep
· What I am due I will receive
· The causes I pursue will prosper.
3. My world boasts all the privileges of this order.
· All benefits associated with being a subject in this kingdom is in full force, here and now.
· All immunities that have been promised is in full force, here and now.
· Every advantage that is received is in full force, here and now.
· Every favor that has been given is in full force, here and now.
However “lowly” my place may appear, I have been accorded a position of high value. My station is a first-class position.
4. My world carries the full dignity of this order.
My activities and ambitions are recognized by God. He takes them seriously and he takes me seriously. In Christ, I carry the quality or state of being worthy, and I am honored and esteemed by God, my loving and covenant-keeping Father. In him I hold a high rank. In him I am of noble blood. In him I hold a position of honor.
Whether I am relaxing at the cottage on a warm summer day in August or fighting a blizzard on my way home from work in mid-February, I carry a royal dignity. Whether I find myself in the culture of a warm family gathering on a long weekend or one in which I am staring down a criminal in a dark alley, I carry the propriety of the kingdom that is above all kingdoms.
5. My world is a royal order.
I have a kingly ancestry, and my world is subject to the crowned “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” (Rev. 19:16b) I, myself, am royal and, based on the qualifications of being washed with the blood of Christ, filled with his power, and adopted into his royal household, I am well-suited for the king’s service. God’s order, which has its source in the highest heaven, the dwelling-place of God and the seat of things eternal and perfect, is now fully active in me and in my world.