Hebrews 2:12-13
10 November 2024
saying,
“I will tell of Your name to My brothers;
in the midst of the congregation
I will sing Your praise.”
And again,
“I will put my trust in Him.”
And again,
“Behold, I and the children God has given Me.”
Jesus Christ is the founder, the captain of our salvation. We saw this back in chapter 2, verse 10 where He is bringing many sons to glory. You and I, us, the church are the sons and daughters being brought to glory by the captain, the founder of our salvation Jesus Christ, our Saviour Jesus Christ. And how does this happen? How can we be brought as sons and daughters to glory? Well, this is the purpose and the focus of the book of Hebrews.
It is by Jesus Christ and in these stages that we're in now in Hebrews chapter 2, we're spending quite a bit of time focusing on the detail of these verses which is outlining the significance of what it means for Jesus to be a man because it was by Jesus becoming a man, dwelling among us, living a life like us and yet unlike us in that He knew no sin in order that He would lay down His sinless life for sinful ones like us, in order that there is salvation through His blood. This is what He has done in His humanity by becoming a man.
And this is what this passage is all about. And last week when we were in verse 11, we considered that Jesus is described as the one who sanctifies, so He's doing a cleansing, a purifying work in the life of His people, namely the sanctified. And what does Hebrews 2:11 even go on to say? It says that we are one with Christ. There is a oneness that we have. Right here this evening as the church of Jesus Christ, as the people of God, we are a people set apart, sanctified, and we are one with Christ.
This is all because God, the triune God, made the way of salvation in that the second person of the triune God, Jesus Christ, would come to this earth, becoming a man dwelling among us. And it is in the passage we now come to in verses 12 to 13 we see even more just what an intimacy that is, that Jesus has with us because He became a man. Note from verse 11 and into verse 12 this initial focus, this is why He, Jesus, is not ashamed to call them brothers. Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers.
And we're going to think about the significance of that, of what Jesus now calls us, how He welcomes us and what it simply meant for Jesus to live on this earth and the things that He did and faced. Now one of the things that maybe some of you have possibly wondered and considered when thinking about Jesus becoming a man is maybe just the everyday nature of His humanity, the everyday life of the Lord Jesus with all of the mundane stuff, with all of the sinful stuff, the silliness, the folly that was around Him. Maybe wondering what was it like for Jesus, the One who knew no sin? Was He always serious? How did He speak and act? How did He interact? How did He react to people when He was around them, His brothers, the people in the community as He was growing up and then in the time when He had His disciples around Him in those latter stages of His ministry?
A lot of questions, some of which we cannot know the answer to, but what we do have in the scriptures is quite a bit of clear teaching with regards to how Jesus did relate to us when He was on this earth. And it's why when we get to the subject of even Jesus calling us brothers, that is a significant term and it is not something that we should overlook because the fellowship and the intimacy that we have with Christ, when we think of questions like how would Jesus have interacted, reacted with the sinful people of this world if maybe we were in that time and context, how would it have been with all of the frivolous, silly and idolatrous things that we would bring to the table on a daily basis?
What we need to realise is we today are those people and Jesus is calling us His brothers. That's what we're called here today. Now that should mark two things in our minds. First of all, as we've been considering already and will continue to do so, the significance of what Christ has done to secure this and also that in our minds there is certainly a seriousness and a joy to therefore being called brothers and sisters of the Lord Jesus Christ.
So as we come to our text now, we have three quotes in verses 12 and 13. This is following on from this not only the point of being one with Christ but then this declaration at the end of verse 11, that is why He is not ashamed to call them brothers and that's the first thing that we are going to deal with, the first point, this declaration that we are brothers. Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers and in order to help us not only understand this verse but the context, we're going to go to Psalm chapter 22 where this is quoted.
So if we go back to Psalm 22, we're going to read from verses 16 to 21. Now it's Psalm 16:22 which is quoted in Hebrews 2:12 but reading the verses before are going to be quite helpful for a couple of reasons and we'll see that as we work our way through it. Let's go to Psalm 22 from verse 16: "For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet; I can count all my bones; they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. But you, O Lord, do not be far off; O you my help, come quickly to my aid! Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen. I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation, I will praise you." Amen.
Now just focusing on verses 16 to 21, this is messianic in that these verses are getting our focus upon the life and especially the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ. Some of the things that are detailed there are the very things that Christ faced in the time of His crucifixion. Now notice one thing that's quite striking in verses 20 and 21, we have this "deliver my soul from the sword" and then verse 21, "save me from the mouth of the lion." What do we have here? We have the cries of the psalmist of being delivered from the pain of death.
And when we come to the Gospels, we do have a point at Gethsemane and we're going to think of this in more detail at the end of Hebrews chapter 2 where the Lord Jesus declares "if it be possible that this cup pass from Him" and yet what He does ultimately declare to the Lord is "not my will but Yours be done." And so Christ was not saved from death on a cross, we have been saved by His death on a cross and that is a very important and significant difference, brothers and sisters. Jesus is not being saved from death on a cross, we are being saved by His death on a cross and that's what verses 16 and 21 get into view, the focus of the crucifixion.
Now the reason that's worth noting is because when we get to Psalm 22 and verse 22, this is what is quoted in Hebrews 2:12 and now it comes to the resurrection. The resurrection and notice what we are now described as because of the resurrection. Verse 22: "I will tell of Your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation, I will praise You." One thing that you maybe haven't noted in studying through the Gospels, it is only once Jesus has risen from the dead that He calls His people brothers. And we see an explicit example of Jesus then doing that in John 20:17 where it says, "Jesus said to her, 'Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Where can there be significance in us being called brothers in the completed work of the Lord Jesus Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection?
Because how can any of us be called brothers? How can we be called brothers? We're not brothers in the context of our nature because our nature is sinful and Christ's is perfect. It's not in power. We don't have the power to save. How can we be called brothers? Righteousness. The righteousness of Jesus Christ is where we have a oneness, Hebrews 2 verse 11, and by which Jesus therefore is not ashamed to call us His brothers because He has risen from the grave and His righteousness is imputed to us, that is credited to our account. We stand before the most high God and we are righteous in His sight because of the blood of Christ, because Christ has secured it. He has made the way of salvation. He is, verse 10, the captain of our salvation. That is why it is theologically accurate and it is spiritually real and true that you are brothers of Christ.
This is the true reality for you tonight and it's because of Christ. If you're thinking, well, I'm not worthy to be called a brother, correct. And that takes us to the gospel. That takes us to Christ and to the magnitude of what it is He faced in His crucifixion and now to rise victorious and to declare that He is not ashamed to call us His brothers. This is truly a majestic and glorious reality that we behold. Now, what we also notice in this first point in verse 12, when it says in the quote, "I will tell of Your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation, I will sing Your praise." This has an application in three different ways: what Christ did, what we do, and what we all will do.
First of all, when we read, "I will tell of Your name to my brothers," Christ did this. He did this, John 17:6: "I have manifested Your name to the people whom You gave me out of the world." Jesus declared the name of God by His very person, by His very identity, by the things that He proclaimed and what He did in His miracles, in His casting out demons, in His authority over sickness, over nature, over death. The name of the living God was proclaimed by Jesus on this earth. So when we read in verse 12, "I will tell of Your name to my brothers," read the Gospels, brothers and sisters, and we will see the name of God throughout. And also, we see in Jesus' life, "in the midst of the congregation, I will sing Your praise."
When we come back to that point of what it would have been like to be around Jesus and to see the things that Jesus did on this earth, one of the things we know He did is that He sang and worshipped with His people. Isn't that a joy to behold? To consider, to think, to reflect that Jesus has been on this earth and He was singing praise, worshipping the Lord. We see this in Matthew 26:30, when it says, "And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives." We see also during the time of the Passover when the ordinance of communion was instituted, that they would have sung hymns, likely from Psalm 116 to 118, where they would have been singing and praising together. So Jesus sang and worshipped with His people while He was on this earth.
But, brothers and sisters, this then also has a second point of direct application regarding what we now do. When we read in this verse, "I will tell of Your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing Your praise." This is what we do. This is what we now do because Christ is now in our midst. He is the Lord of this church and His Spirit dwells in us. That's why, as we even reflected this morning, we are the temple of the living God, a chosen people, a chosen royal priesthood. It's what we are because the Spirit of God is at work and alive in us.
And what is one of the ways by which we are so blessed to gather together and to be the people of God? It is to, in the congregation, sing God's praise. Sing God's praise. This is something that, theologically, we have certainly lost a deep sense of the understanding of how significant and rich a thing this is to do. This is far deeper than something that can get us carried away in a certain emotional frenzy. No, this is a time where we are singing about the truth of who God is. We are praising His name. The words that we sing and the way that we sing them, they matter profoundly because this is about our God and it is worship to and of our God.
So when you stand to sing as the congregation, congregational singing, this is worship to the living God and where we are giving praise to the Spirit of God at work and where Christ is the one who is head of all that we are and all that we do. And this takes us to what we all will do. When we get to heaven, when we are called home to be with our Lord in glory with new resurrected bodies and we are all united together as Christ's bridegroom, what will that be like? What will it be like to dwell in the presence of the most high God and our bridegroom, Jesus Christ?
Perhaps for many growing up, the idea of singing hymns in an old church building sounded like a bit of a bore. Well, brothers and sisters, it couldn't be further from such a thought to be in the presence of the majesty and beauty of the glory of Jesus Christ. Everything that is truly wonderful and a joy to behold, magnifying that to an extent that we cannot even comprehend. And this only begins to help us to start to picture what it will be like to be in the presence of Jesus Christ and together at one with our bridegroom to be praising the name of the living God. There is nothing that can compare to such a joy. And that is what you have to look forward to as His dear brothers and sisters. Because He is not ashamed to call you as those who belong to His family because we belong to His family.
And that is why to heaven we will go forevermore because of Christ, because of the life He lived, the death that He died and the resurrection by which He now can say and call us His brothers. Now, with that, we move on then to verse 13 and the second and third quotes, which are both, it seems almost certain, to be found from Isaiah chapter 8. So let's just quickly go to Isaiah chapter 8. Just the other passage we're going to refer to this afternoon because it's quoted in our text. So Isaiah chapter 8. This second quote is very striking because this helps us to see even more clearly what life was like for Christ on this earth.
So let's read Isaiah 8 from verse 14. We'll go down to 17 where we find the specific quote. Isaiah 8 from 14: "They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken. Bind up the testimony; seal the teaching among my disciples. I will wait for the Lord who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in Him. Amen."
Notice how this section begins as it leads to verse 17, which is quoted in Hebrews 2:13. It begins with this language of Christ being the stone of offense, the rock of stumbling. What's this regarding? That Christ's life on this earth would be a life of lowly estate as a man. Christ would live of lowly estate on this earth as one who had no form or majesty that we should look at Him. Isaiah 53:2: "A man despised and rejected by man. He is the man of sorrows." Isaiah 53:3. That is the type of man and the circumstances in which God would dwell on this earth—the suffering, the trials that He would endure.
Now as we come down to verse 17, which is quoted with that in mind, we see "I will wait for the Lord who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in Him." Now it's kind of slightly been translated somewhat in Hebrews 2:13 where it's summarized as "I will put my trust in Him." But this is what we see of the Lord Jesus on this earth. As a man, He enjoyed perfect intimate fellowship with His Father. John 6:38: "For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me." And we see this particularly emphasized again and again in the gospel of John, the way that Christ lived on this earth. There was such a love for Him. There was such a dependence, a waiting, a trusting upon His Father, seeking to do the will of His Father.
And where do we see examples of this? Well, most explicitly it is by the fact that our Lord Jesus not only prayed, but He prioritized time to pray. Now, why did Christ do this? It's not that in any way Christ had any sin to repent of. It's not that He was being distracted by the world and He needed some quiet time to get His heart and mind back on God. No, He enjoyed that perfect fellowship, that intimacy with the Father. And that is why, brothers and sisters, this is why He would desire to spend and prioritize time with His Father. There would be nothing better to do. Because it is in prayer that the very depth of the soul can be calmed and where the very will of God can be mirrored.
And this is something that the Lord Jesus Christ knew perfectly because He is God. It was the attitude, the posture, the way of life of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was His divine labour where He was very, very, very busy in His daily life and ministry. And what do we see Him doing? We see Him getting up early, going to a desolate place and He prayed because He was a man who lived, who trusted in His Father. And we see this throughout times when He was giving thanks and praying for things that He did to His Father. And as we've noted, and it will unpack in more detail later on in Hebrews 2, in the time in Gethsemane when He was facing the toil, the blood, sweat, drops, tears that were falling down in the time when He was considering what was about to befall in bearing our sin. He would yet still say, "yet not my will, but Yours be done." And Christ would go to the cross because this was the will, the decree, the purpose of the Father. What God had ordained, Christ was trusting in Him.
Now, when we look at this and consider what we are called to be—disciples of Christ, take up our cross and follow Christ. Christ was giving us the example. That's why when He was baptized, He said He did this to fulfil all righteousness. He was setting the example for us, the ways by which to follow. And we see a priority in prayer, a trusting in His Father, a seeking the Father's will.
Brothers and sisters, every single day of your life, that's how we are to live. That's who we depend upon. Because if it's not the Heavenly Father in whom we trust and live upon, then what direction are we moving in? In whom do we trust? In whose ways do we follow? This is why we look to Christ. This is why we need Christ. And we thank God for the example, the life of Christ. And where we see, "I will put my trust in Him." And then we have also in verse 13, quoted from Isaiah 8:18: "And again, behold, I and the children God has given me."
So literally picking up from where the last section has left. And this is where we end. We end with the gospel itself. And that is a precious place to end any sermon. Because here, this is the declaration: "Behold, I and the children." Who are these children that God has given to Christ? The ones He calls brothers. That's us. We are the ones that have been given to Christ.
Now, this language is something we should dwell on. Something that should fuel our prayer lives. Because not only does this give us an even greater clarity of the assurance of our salvation, but also how meaningful we are to our God. You are meaningful to the living God. You matter dearly. You matter more than you realize. You matter more to God than we think we matter to ourselves. And this is a spiritual truth because of Christ.
In Isaiah 53:10, it says, "Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush Him." Now, just stop and think. Why? Under what circumstance would Christ in coming to this earth be crushed by the Father? Why would that possibly be a good and right thing to happen? Well, the verse goes on: "He has put Him to grief. When His soul makes an offering for guilt, He shall see His offspring; He shall prolong His days. The will of the Lord shall prosper in His hand."
That's why Jesus is put to grief—made a guilt offering for sin on that cross so that He shall see His offspring, the children of God. That's why it is the will of God to crush the Son. That is the plan of salvation. That is how Christ Jesus is the captain of your salvation by being crushed at Calvary by the Father, by His wrath burning against the Son and bearing the sins of His chosen people, namely His children who have been given to Him.
This was focused. This was deliberate. This was intentional. There are a specific people, the Church of Jesus Christ, known as the children of God, given to Christ by what He did on Calvary. That's how, that is how we can see "I and the children God has given me" is the spiritual foundation of the truth of what we are tonight. And that cannot be snatched away. The devil cannot touch this and we'll come to the subject of the devil in Hebrews 2:14, because Christ's triumphant work was so complete. It was so perfect as that guilt offering that even the grave itself couldn't hold Him. And it's why He rose. It's why Jesus Christ rose victorious over sin and death to claim His bride, His children given to Him by the plan of Almighty God.
That's what we are. That's who we are as Christians tonight. And to know how meaningful this is, the One who is seated on the throne is the One who is interceding for you. Now, brothers and sisters, it is certainly quite a nice touching, even powerful thought to know that there are Christians in different parts of the world, churches who are praying for this church here in Aberdeen. But how much more glorious is it to consider that Christ Jesus in heaven is interceding, praying for you? Why? Because you are His people.
We are children of God and we are safe in His everlasting arms. We are safe with Christ because we are part of His family. And it's why in Romans 8:38-39, it says, "For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, none of it will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Nothing can separate you because of what Christ has done, because of who Christ is, because we are a people in the plan of salvation who are children that God has given to the Son.
That's what we are. We are children given to the Son. And that's how it will be in glory. There's going to be no distance. There's going to be no, well, let's relegate them to another territory. You dare not go near the Lord Jesus. No, because we are a part of His family. We are welcomed as His children. Know this, Christian, here tonight, that in the context of just these two verses, we have the Lord Jesus Christ in becoming a man, not being ashamed to call you to Himself. Not being ashamed to call you “His brothers”.
That we are His children given to Him. And all of this secured by Christ, by His life lived as a man on this earth. In these verses, in this passage, we are focusing our attention on the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ, in what it meant for Christ to be a man. And it was only by Christ living as a man on this earth that we could be called brothers, that we could be children of the living God and welcomed into His family, only because Christ has come and conquered sin and death, and He has risen victorious, Lord over all.
And as we then go on in verses 14 to 15, in the next couple of Sundays we'll be in this passage, we will then see why by Jesus Christ becoming a man, He has defeated the devil and He has defeated death itself. Christ is victorious over all, over everything. And He is your Lord. He is the One who calls you brother. He is the One for whom we can be and are now children of the living God.