Hebrews 2:11-13 "For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, (12) Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. (13) And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me."
Have you ever been in a worship service when you knew without a shadow of a
doubt that the Lord was speaking to you? It may have been through a song that
was sung. It may have been through a prayer that was prayed. It may have been a
verse of Scripture or even one phrase that was spoken. That occurrence is the
fulfilling of this passage of Scripture. Jesus is declaring to us through the
Holy Spirit the grand truth and application of the Holy Word of God right into
our hearts. We are made to rejoice because we have heard His glorious voice
within us. He has promised to declare the name of the Father.
Let me take these verses in another direction. The first application is true,
but let me use these verses to show the effect of His suffering and death on
the cross. Let's read the statements one more time. "I will declare thy
name (our Heavenly Father) unto my brethren. I will sing praise unto thee. I
will put my trust in Him. Behold I and the children which God hath given
me." Jesus never denied His Father in Heaven. He used these words
even as He cried out on the cross, "MY God, MY God, Why hast thou forsaken
me?" Even in His darkest hour, Jesus did not deny His relationship with
the Father in heaven. After that, Jesus very reverently spoke praise to
the Father and expressed His trust in the Father's will, "Father, into thy
hands I commend my spirit." Later in the book of Hebrews we will see that
Jesus entered into heaven itself to offer His righteous blood as payment in
full to the Father. That payment was offered for "the children which God
hath given me" and be assured the payment was accepted by God the Father
for our sins to be remitted, or paid in full.
The text tells us that Jesus is not ashamed to call us brethren and He is not
ashamed to declare the name of the Father unto us. The question that is hitting
me in the heart is, Am I willing to "declare thy name unto my
brethren"? Am I willing to stand boldly and defend the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ? Am I willing to stand firm upon my profession of faith? (We
will be reading much more about this as we go through the book of Hebrews.)
Am I willing to forsake all else and stand strong in the power of His might
in order that I might honor Him?
"He is not ashamed to call them (us) brethren." Let this soak in.
Jesus is not ashamed to claim you as His own. But it required so much more than
simply making the statement. We read back in verse 9, "But we see
Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of
death." Yes, in order for Jesus to call us "brethren," He had to
die. Even at that, He is not ashamed to call us brethren (family). I
think of an old hymn that we used to sing when I was young. "I'm
not ashamed to own my Lord, or to defend his cause, maintain the honor of his
Word, the glory of his cross." I read today's text and I read the
words of this old hymn and I have to ask myself, "Am I ashamed?"