One With Christ
Intro:
Song Lyric:
Roll up to the theater; ticket buying, what we’re handlin’
You can call us Aaron Burr from the way we’re dropping Hamiltons
(How many of you get the clever joke here? What previous knowledge is required to get the joke?)
Reminder: Hebrews was written by a Jew, to the Jews, to remind (prove) that Jesus was the Great High Priest. Much like the Gospel of Matthew, the book of Hebrews has passages that are full of O.T. references and concepts that would have been second hand knowledge to most Jews.
For us, we have to dig a little.
Today’s Passage:
11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for this reason He is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters,
12 saying,
“I will proclaim Your name to My brothers,
In the midst of the assembly I will sing Your praise.”
13 And again,
“I will put My trust in Him.”
And again,
“Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me.”
The References:
Psalm 22:22
I will proclaim Your name to my brothers;
In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.
2 Samuel 22:3
My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge;
My savior, You save me from violence.
Isaiah 8:17-18
And I will wait for the LORD who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob; I will wait eagerly for Him.
Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are for signs and wonders in Israel from the LORD of armies, who dwells on Mount Zion
There is Something here that would have been caught by first century Jews, which may be lost on us because of unfamiliarity. It’s subtle, but powerful.
In all three of these references (the first two belonging to David, the last belonging to the prophet Isaiah) there is a servant of God expressing trust in the face of certain danger.
For the author of Hebrews to express this assumed one-ness between Jesus and his followers suggests that Jesus, in human form, very much lived by faith as well, often in the midst of danger.
(Prayer in Garden)
Verse 11: “all from one”
Greek: pas ek eis
“Have the same origin” (God the Father)
“are of one nature” (Human Nature)
and it is because of this one-ness that Christ is NOT ASHAMED to call us brothers and sisters (co-heirs) (princes and princesses) (Inheritors of both salvation AND the Kingdom!)
Truly good news, no?
J.I. Packer:
“In view of the Son’s glory portrayed in Chapter 1, we might expect Him to recoil from identification with fallible human beings, but He willingly call us brothers and sisters. Such a family relationship is essential to His compassionate, priestly ministry.”
Final Thought: “The children whom God has given me”
John 6:37-39 (NIV)
37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.
- Who is responsible for our salvation?
- What then is the role of our faith? (If God saves, why do we need to do anything at all, including obedience?)
So What?
- When tempted to sin: consider this one-ness.
- Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters; when was the last time you were ashamed of Jesus?
- Others?
Prayer/Q&A