Hebrews 6:19-7:10
April 13, 2025
preached by Pastor Doug Cooper
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Time of Reflection Quotations

“God’s dynamic plan is predicated on shalom – the intended state of peace and wholeness that all of God’s creation is meant to experience. This isn’t peace as we Americans conceive of it, like snoozing in a hammock; rather, it is an active presence of what is right, true, nourishing, joyful, and the like. Shalom is the plumb line, and when we see injustice in the world, we see that things are not as they ought to be. Put another way, injustice and sin tear the fabric of shalom – and shalom is the all-encompassing desire of God for peace and goodness throughout His creation.”

“Without justice there can be no shalom. Shalom flourishes in the presence of justice.”

~ Ken Wytsma, Dutch American engineer, author and educator

“Whatever we value most in life becomes our ‘treasure.’ And our treasure becomes our hope. In turn, our hope determines how we act, since we always spend our lives on whatever we think will make us happy.”

~ Scott Hafemann (1954-present), N.T. professor and author

“Money cannot save you from tragedy, or give you control in a chaotic world. Only God can do that. What breaks the power of money over us is not just redoubled effort to follow the example of Christ. Rather, it is deepening your understanding of the salvation of Christ, what you have in him, and then living out the changes that that understanding makes in your heart.

~ Tim Keller (1950-2023), American pastor, theologian, writer

“Meekness is not to be confused with weakness: the meek are not simply submissive because they lack the resources to be anything else. Meekness is quite compatible with great strength and ability as humans measure strength, but whatever strength or weakness the meek person has is accompanied by humility and a genuine dependence on God.”

~ Leon Morris (1914-2006), Australian N.T. scholar and theologian

Sermon Passage

Hebrews 6:19-7:10

Hebrews 6

¹⁹ We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. ²⁰ Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner, because he has become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Hebrews 7

¹ For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, met Abraham and blessed him as he returned from defeating the kings, ² and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means king of righteousness, then also, king of Salem, meaning king of peace. ³ Without father, mother, or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.

⁴ Now consider how great this man was: even Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the plunder to him. ⁵ The sons of Levi who receive the priestly office have a command according to the law to collect a tenth from the people — that is, from their brothers and sisters — though they have also descended from Abraham. ⁶ But one without this lineage collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises. ⁷ Without a doubt, the inferior is blessed by the superior. ⁸ In the one case, men who will die receive a tenth, but in the other case, Scripture testifies that he lives. ⁹ And in a sense Levi himself, who receives a tenth, has paid a tenth through Abraham, ¹⁰ for he was still within his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.