Hebrews 7:1-10

1.Discuss all the things that made Melchizedek special. Can you see parallels between him and Jesus? “priest of God Most High” Jesus is the Son of God Most High Mark 5:7 “king of righteousness” Jesus is our Righteousness Jeremiah 34:16 “king of Salem” Jesus brings us peace John 14:27

There is no trace of his beginning or end. Jesus is the Beginning and the End; Revelation 21:6 Abraham and Levi gave him a tenth (or tithe) of the plunder. We can say Levi gave a tenth through Abraham Hebrews 7:9 Melchizedek blessed Abraham. The lesser person is always blessed by the greater

2.Since Jesus is a Priest after the order of Melchizedek, where does that place him in relation to the priesthood of Aaron, to which the Jewish Christians were tempted to return? Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek making him greater than Aaron

Hebrews 7: Two things make it clear that Melchizedek and the one he pictured, Jesus, were of a different system than Aaron. Can you spot these two differences? (Hint: Focus on verses 13 and 16.) Jesus is not a Levite but from Judah He is a priest based on power and an indestructible life 2.Why is it critical that a new priesthood replace that of Aaron? (Note: The writer is drawing his information not from the New Testament but from the Old Testament. This is important. He is not proving his point by something Jesus or his followers said but by what David had said many years ago in the psalms.) The old priesthood was based on the law which can never make anyone good before God. It could only point to a Savior, not forgive sins.

3.Jesus’ priesthood is linked to “an indestructible life.” Why is this indestructible life of Jesus so essential to our salvation? If Jesus had not been raised we are still in our sins. 1 Corinthians 15:14 4.Read 7:18 again. What weakness is there in the Mosaic Law? How can we communicate this to people who still have their hope of salvation in the law? We cannot be justified by the law - Galatians 5:4 & Romans 3:20 – We need a Savior from sin

Hebrews 7: The writer refers to Jesus’ indestructible nature (verse 16). Why does this make his priesthood better than Aaron’s? When Aaron died his priesthood ended and temple worship ended when the temple was destroyed. Jesus lives! He is and always will live to intercede for us in heaven.

2.On the basis of verses 26 to 28, contrast the following: the Old Testament high priests and the High Priest Jesus OT priests had to sacrifice for their own sins first. Jesus never sinned the sacrifices of the Old Testament high priests and Jesus’ sacrifice OT Priest’s sacrifices never paid for one sin Jesus’ sacrifice paid for the sins of the world “the law” and “the oath” OT law could never accomplish anything to save us. God’s oath gave us Jesus our eternal priest.

3.What comfort do we find in knowing that Jesus lives forever and that he has established a permanent priesthood? He does not change, his sacrifice for us was once and for all 4.“All religions lead back to God.” What key thought from our study in this section shows that this statement is not true? All other religion is based on the law, not the Gospel promised to us by God. Acts 4:10-12