Hebrews 7:11-19. Part of our series through Hebrews. Preached at The Valley Remnant Church on October 11, 2026.
Polycarp learned about Jesus from the apostle John. In his old age he was arrested and brought into a stadium in Smyrna. The proconsul told him to swear by Caesar and revile Christ, and he would go free. Polycarp answered that he had served Christ for eighty-six years and Christ had done him no wrong. How could he blaspheme the King who saved him? He was threatened with beasts and with fire, and he would not turn. He told them they threatened a fire that burns for a little while, but they did not know the fire of the coming judgment.
Polycarp also said something worth remembering. Repentance from better to worse is impossible for us. A Christian cannot turn from what is better to what is worse. But it is good to turn from wickedness to righteousness.
So think about your life. What is the best thing in it? If it is not Christ, you are selling yourself short. What areas have you handed over to the temporary, to what will perish, to what is imperfect? Week after week Hebrews tells us Christ is better than everything. Yet there are areas in each of our lives we have not fully surrendered, because we still think something else is better.
The Old Way Was Imperfect
Now if perfection came through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the law), what further need was there for another priest to appear, said to be according to the order of Melchizedek and not according to the order of Aaron? (Hebrews 7:11, CSB)
When Hebrews was written, the temple still stood and sacrifices were still offered. The first readers were tempted to go back. We are not tempted to sacrifice bulls and goats, but we can still long for the old shadows as if they held something we need. They do not. The Old Testament saints had a real hope, but it was an imperfect hope, because perfection never came through the Levitical priesthood.
God had said so long before. In 1 Samuel 2 he pronounced judgment on the house of Eli and promised, I will raise up a faithful priest for myself. Eli’s sons Hophni and Phinehas died on the same day. The removal of that priesthood was foretold, and God’s plan was always for Christ to be the priest we need.
Under the old way, no one could truly draw near. Only the high priest entered the inner sanctuary, once a year. Priests were close. Israel stood farther off. The Gentiles were kept in their own court. Everything was restricted, a shadow of what was coming.
A Priest With an Indestructible Life
And this becomes clearer if another priest like Melchizedek appears, who did not become a priest based on a legal regulation about physical descent but based on the power of an indestructible life. (Hebrews 7:15-16, CSB)
The Levitical priests held office by descent, and the line was flawed from the start. While Moses was on the mountain receiving the law, his brother Aaron, the high priest, was at the bottom shaping a golden calf. That priesthood was weak because it rested on sinful men who died.
Jesus came from Judah, the tribe of kings, not the tribe of priests (verses 13-14). Moses said nothing about priests from Judah. So Christ is both King and Priest, just as Melchizedek was king of righteousness and priest of God Most High. Melchizedek is the type. Jesus is the fulfillment. Christ’s life has no end because it had no beginning. He is a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4).
Here is something sobering. Everyone who has ever been conceived will live forever. The only question is where, and who their priest will be. Some will rejoice forever. Some will weep forever.
A Better Hope Through Which We Draw Near
So the previous command is annulled because it was weak and unprofitable (for the law perfected nothing), but a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. (Hebrews 7:18-19, CSB)
If you learn one thing from Hebrews, learn this: Christ is better. Hebrews says it again and again. Better than the angels (1:4). A better hope (7:19). A better covenant (7:22; 8:6). Better sacrifices (9:23). A better possession (10:34). A better country (11:16). A better resurrection (11:35). Blood that speaks better than the blood of Abel (12:24). Whatever you read in the Old Testament, the writer is telling you that Jesus is better.
Under the old covenant, you and I would have stood in the court of the Gentiles. Now Christ’s sacrifice has torn the curtain in two. We have free access to the Father. We do not need another mediator. We are justified in Christ, made perfect in God’s sight, even though we still see our own spots and wrinkles every day.
Some churches sell a kind of hope. Give, and God will bless you tenfold. Hope for a gift you can perform, a new revelation, a miracle on demand. That hope will leave you hopeless. So will your job, your marriage, your money, and your health if you put any of them in Christ’s place. There is only one hope that does not fail. You do not need your finances in order to draw near to God. You do not need your health in order. You need Christ.
Do It Today
Charles Spurgeon once said it is better to lay one brick today than to propose to build a palace next year. Stop putting it off. Many who call themselves Christians would never face the beasts like Polycarp did, when even getting to church on Sunday feels like too much. Do not only draw near to God on Sunday morning, or when you are in need, or when you want something. Draw near to God every day, through the hard circumstances and the bills you cannot pay and the sin you keep falling into. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you (James 4:8).
How do you do that? Read. Pray. Fellowship. Trust God with the rest. Hope in Christ is better than owning the cattle on a thousand hills. It is better to live your life for Christ than for anything else.
Watch the full sermon on YouTube. If you are in the Belle Vernon area, we would love to have you with us. Sunday School begins at 10:15 AM and worship at 11:00 AM. You can plan your visit any time.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Phil Pagliari
Frequently asked questions
What is the better hope in Hebrews 7:19?
It is the hope introduced through Jesus, our priest according to the order of Melchizedek. The law perfected nothing, but through Christ we can actually draw near to God.
Why couldn’t the Levitical priesthood bring perfection?
Its priests were sinful men who died, and they had to offer sacrifices over and over. Their office rested on physical descent. Christ is a priest by the power of an indestructible life, and his one sacrifice is complete.
Who was Polycarp?
Polycarp was a second century bishop of Smyrna who was taught by the apostle John. When ordered to curse Christ, he said he had served Christ eighty-six years and Christ had done him no wrong. He was martyred rather than deny his King.
