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He has bound himself to us | Hebrews 2 | Revd Dr Luke Foster · Chapel Talks

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Now, I wonder when the last time was that you
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had one of those kind of cold sweat moments that
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makes you stop and pause and just think, what
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was I thinking? What was I thinking? How did
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I get into this? It could be that moment when
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you press click, buy, and suddenly wonder, was
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it a scam? What was I thinking? It could be one
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of those moments where you get that email confirming
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a place on a half marathon or an Ironman. I don't
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know that particular example of that, but I could
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imagine the confirmation of the place comes through
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and you go, oh, yikes, what was I thinking? It
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could be when you're on a walk in the Lake District
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that was meant to be fun with all your mates
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from the first year and you find yourself being
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led by Tom Mishley saying, no, seriously, it's
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fine. And you're clinging to the cliff edge going.
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What was I thinking? It could be any of those
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moments. I had a moment like that, less dramatic,
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when Martha, my daughter, had a friend round
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to play. And that wasn't a disaster. That was
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fine. But we decided that we'd go to go away
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because that'd be like a really fun thing to
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do. And it always looks fine from below. It's
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fine from below. And then you get up top and
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they clip you in and you're stood there on the
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platform. I said, what was I thinking? because
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there I am there's the height and it looks so
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much further and all I've got is like this little
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piece of metal attaching me to the thing and
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it looks so far and I said what was I thinking
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you know particularly as I was responsible now
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not just for me but for my daughter and her friend
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I was like why couldn't we just have gone bowling
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like normal people so we get up We get that moment,
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we feel that fear in all kinds of different ways,
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in all kinds of different moments, but it also
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kind of sets in. As Christians, we have that
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cold sweat, what was I thinking kind of moment.
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And it could be like a very clear moment in our
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lives, like that moment when we just... We're
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thinking to ourselves as we maybe leave university
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and head into the world of work, like it was
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all fine when I was a student, when I was at
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my student church and things, but now what was
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I thinking? Or we hit that phase of life when
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we go, it was all fine when everything was fine,
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but now it's not fine. What was I thinking? I
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was really... Struck by Dan's honesty on Monday
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when he shared about that experience of stepping
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into such an other strange Muslim context and
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thinking, well, kind of all those truths that
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I trusted then still true here today. Now, in
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this place, we could be those kind of moments
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or it could be just the kind of pattern that
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keeps cropping up. It happens when I'm with that
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family member. And it suddenly feels like, really?
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Committing myself to Jesus, giving myself to
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his ministry. What was I thinking? It could be
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when I'm with that group of friends or it could
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be as I look at where my friends have got to
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and now where my family is and the choices that
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we've made and think, really, what was I thinking?
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What is this book of Hebrews and this chapter
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of Hebrews is written to people like us, people
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like that, people having that same fear, that
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same thought. What was I thinking? Because they,
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like us, they'd heard about Jesus. They believed
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in Jesus. But then the pressure begins to build.
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The reality sets in. And a bit like me on that
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platform at GoApe, starting to think, like, will
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this hold me? Will this hold me? As I look around
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the people I'm responsible for, will this hold
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them? What was I thinking? And it's a question
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that's really the context for this whole. That's
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sort of provoked by this whole book, particularly
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by the context of these verses, because throughout
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Hebrews, we get that message again and again,
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cling to Jesus, cling to Jesus because there
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is no one greater. And particularly this passage
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itself was framed just before and after by that
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call to cling to Jesus because he's so much greater.
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You just glance up to two, one to four or glance
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across to three, one to seven, one to six. Those
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sort of paragraphs present us with Jesus and
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say, cling to Jesus. Look at his greatness. He
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is greater. He is greater than the angels and
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greater than the whole mosaic system that those
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angels represent. Cling to Jesus because he is
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greater. But then it's like the doubt sets in.
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Because when I look to Jesus. And when I look
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to myself. All I see is foolishness and all I
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see is frailty. It's a bit like wondering whether
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I clicked on an offer that seemed too good, that
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seemed so good, and it turns out to have been
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too good to be true. Because when I look to Jesus,
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see that foolishness, when I look to myself,
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see that frailty, it's as if my grip on Jesus
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begins to slip and I begin to wonder what was
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I thinking? And these verses speak into that
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moment. These verses speak into that fear and
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they speak into it saying, look to the crucified
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Jesus. Look to the crucified Jesus, because there
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you will see the truth of who he is. There you
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will see the truth. of who you are as you look
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to jesus crucified you will see jesus the glorious
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and loved son and us as his precious beloved
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brothers verses five to nine um at the first
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chunk of these verses they hold up to us jesus
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As the glorious son. And the very place that
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provokes the world's contempt, the various the
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very place that the church, these Hebrews, that
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we ourselves might find discouragement. That
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is the place that Hebrews calls us to look for
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our confidence. That is the place that these
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verses call us to look for our comfort and our
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security. Because we say, look, he can't be great.
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Just look at the foolishness of him crucified.
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And the writer of Hebrew says, he is great. Just
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look at his humiliation as he is crucified. See,
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verses five to nine, it's as if they teach us
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how to see. They teach us how to see so that
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we can recognize the truth that's revealed. in
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the cross and it teaches us how to see by like
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adjusting our vision in verses five to eight
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by showing us first of all adam and seeing the
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principle there and showing what is true for
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adam and then turning an eight to nine and saying
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now we've learned to see now we've tuned our
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vision and sharpened our vision now we can recognize
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the truth of jesus so in verses five to eight
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we marvel at the fact that salvation or glory,
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dominion over the earth was to come to this one
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made of dust. What is man that you are mindful
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of him or the son of man that you care for him?
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You made him a little lower than the angels.
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You crowned him with glory and honor, putting
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everything in subjection under his feet. It marvels
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at the fact the one who is made lower than the
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angels. has had everything placed in subjection
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under his feet. And then as we turn from 5 to
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8 and look in verses 8 to 9, we see that what
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was pictured in Adam and what was squandered
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in Adam and spoilt in Adam is truly and gloriously
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achieved in Jesus. Verse 9, the one truly made
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low. is the one ultimately exalted. We see him
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now, who for a little while was made lower than
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angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and
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honor because of the suffering of death. Jesus
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is crowned with glory, not despite, but because
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he suffered in the very place of his shame. We
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find the very heart of his glory. Jesus is the
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greater. Jesus is greater than the angels because
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he is the glorious son. But where do we see that
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he's the glorious son? We see it in the cross
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of him crucified. I mean, it's a bit of a silly
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example, but you could imagine me with one of
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those instructors kind of, no, I didn't do this.
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I didn't panic. I held it together. This is what
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I was thinking, you know, because obviously my
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daughter's there. So when they're explaining
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here, you'll be fine. I go, yeah, yeah, cool,
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cool, cool, cool. But in my head, I'm thinking
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like, how can I be sure? It's just this and a
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little piece of rope. And you can imagine like
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the instructor sighing, okay, another one panicking,
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going, you can be sure. Just look at this and
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the piece of rope. Just look at it. Yes, just
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look at it. You can imagine them saying. And
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so I wonder whether in many ways our struggle
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with faith so often exposes a struggle to see.
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Not so much what I see or what I don't see, but
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how I see. The fact that I've got such a distorted
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vision of greatness and glory means that I don't
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recognize the real thing when it's shown to me.
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So when I'm wondering and I have those moments,
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what have I done when Jesus seems so foolish?
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These verses teach us how to see and see that
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glory in the cross. Now, our issue here this
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morning may not be at this point that we are
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going to abandon the cross. It might be much
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more likely that we will. Just begin to look
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away from the cross. Maybe not so much reject
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it, but perhaps more likely begin by wrapping
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it around in something that makes us feel more
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secure. You know, we find our reassurance in
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something else, something that is more, you know,
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a Jesus who is more respectable to me. A Jesus
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who's more acceptable to those family members
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or friends amongst whom I find it so hard to
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be a Christian. And I don't know, maybe a particular
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challenge for us here at Oak Hill is that danger
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of wanting to, when we're faced with the shame
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of the cross, wanting to wrap it around with
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the knowledge that we have, with that respectability
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of knowledge that I can maybe there feel that
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strength, the strength of knowing stuff that
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then maybe intellectually, people will respect
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or apologetically I can wield. We're tempted
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to wrap the cross round in something more respectable,
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something more acceptable. But the cross is the
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place where the greatness of Jesus is made known.
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This is where we see what God is like. This is
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where Jesus is his most. God -like. This is where
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Jesus displays his greatness as the true, the
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glorious, the much -loved son. And so if I'm
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thinking, what have I done? We're not to look
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for something else. We're not to look for something
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more. We're not to wrap the cross. in something
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that makes it feel more acceptable. Instead,
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we're to look at the cross and keep looking because
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there we see Jesus for who he is. And that's
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what we're going to do in a little while as we
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share communion together. Together, as we look,
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as we take, as we taste, as we trust, we will
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know the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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Given for us. Preserving our body and soul to
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everlasting life. At the cross we see Christ
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for who he is. And so let's feel ourselves as
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we take the bread and take the wine. Feel ourselves
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clinging to Jesus. Jesus crucified. And as we
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do that, and as we look to the cross, we find
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the cross not simply displaying to us the glory
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of who Jesus is. We see the cross displaying
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to us the truth of who we are. If we've looked
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to the cross to see Jesus as the true and glorious
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son, we look to the cross and see who we are
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as brothers and sisters with him, brothers and
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sisters in him. but you can imagine that again
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that sort of feeling of tension like it's one
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thing to put it this way to sort of feel that
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the carabiner is strong enough or the rope strong
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enough but like how securely is it attached to
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me yeah i don't just want to tug at it and feel
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that it's strongly on that hook up there on that
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tree or whatever i want to tug at it and feel
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that it's hooked firmly to me. And so as the
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writer to the Hebrews presents Jesus in his glory,
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you can almost imagine that other question bubbling
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up. Yeah, but what about us? You've taught me
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how to see in the foolishness of the cross, the
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glory of Jesus. But what about when I look at
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ourselves and see only frailty and weakness in
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me, and to be honest, in those around me? Where
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do I turn for reassurance? And for the Hebrews,
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maybe it was the sacrificial system, the mosaic
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order, those traditions and communities that
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they had been part of. For us, it could be our
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work, our abilities or all some kind of social
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status to give us acceptability. But these verses
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say, look to Jesus, look to the cross, because
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there you will see the security of who you are.
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There you will see on the cross. That Jesus has
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bound himself to us. He has bound himself to
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us, clipped himself to us, as it were, as brothers.
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And that he will bring us home. Just look at
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the way he binds himself to us as brothers in
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11, sorry, in 10 to 13, verse 10. He's bound
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himself to us in suffering in verse 10. In verse
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11, he's shared in our life. In verse 11, he
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goes on to call us brothers. He binds himself
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to us. And as he does that in verses 10 and 11,
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then onwards in 11 to 13, he makes us his brothers.
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He calls us brothers in verse 11. And then in
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verse 12. It's as if he turns and proclaims his
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father to us. So this is what he's saying in
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verse 12. I will tell in the midst, sorry, I
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will tell of your name in the midst of the congregation.
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I will sing your praise. It's as if amongst us,
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amongst his brothers, he's proclaiming his father.
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This is your father who you know and who you
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can celebrate with me. And then having proclaimed
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the father to the brothers, he then presents
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the brothers. To the father saying, verse 13,
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behold, I am the children you, the Lord God,
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have given to me. He binds us to himself as brothers.
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And as he does that, he brings us home. Look
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at that security and certainty of the Lord Jesus
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bringing us home. Verse 14 to 15, he has rescued
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us. Since the children share in flesh and blood,
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he himself likewise partook of the same things,
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that through death he might destroy the one who
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has the power of death, that is the devil. He
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shared in our humanity to defeat our enemy by
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dying in our place. And the one who rescues us,
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keeps us. He shares in our humanity and so rescues
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us, but he shares in our humanity and so can
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sustain and keep us. Verse 16 down to 18. Surely
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it's not angels that he helps, but he helps the
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offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be
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made like his brothers in every respect. So that
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he might become a merciful and faithful high
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priest in the service of God to make propitiation
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for the sins of his people. Because he himself
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has suffered when tempted, he is able to help
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those who are being tempted. He shares in our
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humanity to save us. He shares in our humanity
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to keep us. He helps us, verse 16. He's merciful
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in verse 17. Verse 18, he is compassionate. At
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the cross, we see the truth that Jesus has bound
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us to himself and will bring us home. You know,
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I don't know if you've done stuff like go ape,
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but you find that that thing of no doubt done,
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you know, bungee jumping and up sailing and things
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like that. But, you know, if you've ever had
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that moment where you you find yourself clinging
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hard to the rope or maybe on a roller coaster
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to the to the stuff that's holding you in, you
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find yourself your white knuckles, your hand
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hurts like gripping, holding tight. And it takes
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a little while to realize that it's not me keeping
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myself safe as I cling to the rope. It's the
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rope keeping me safe as it is bound to me. I
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might be holding tight, but this can carry my
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whole weight. And that's something what these
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verses are calling us to know about the Lord
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Jesus. It's so easy for me to look for reassurance.
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from the world it's so easy for me to look for
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glory in the world at best doing that is like
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squeezing a rope so hard so hard that your hands
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hurt it's exhausting it's tiring at best when
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we do that it's that exhaustion of clinging in
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our own strength at worst When we do that, it's
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a bit like slipping off the harness at the top
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of the tree and looking for our security somewhere
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else. These verses say Jesus can take your weight.
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He has bound himself to you and he will bring
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you safely home. The cross shows me who Jesus
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is. He shows me what he has done and he shows
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me who I am to him. You see, there I see Jesus,
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the glorious son who has made me, who has made
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us to be his brothers and sisters. And so when
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I feel weak, when I look around me and see that
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the church is so frail. I'm to look to the cross
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to see him there binding himself to me, calling
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me his brother, committing himself to bring me
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home. And again, that is what Jesus calls us
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to see in just a moment as we share bread and
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wine together. As we come to his body broken,
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as we come to his blood shed. There we see the
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truth of who he is. There we see the truth of
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who we are. As we look to him, we can then look
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up and around and see each other and see brothers
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and sisters in Christ. We can see brothers and
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sisters of Christ. Jesus has bound us together.
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as he has bound himself to us as brothers and
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sisters who he is bringing home. So in that moment
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when the cold sweat sets in and we think to ourselves,
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what have we done? What have I done? The call
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is to look to the cross. And here's the thing,
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like after a little while on Go Ape, you'll be
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very pleased to know, I actually began to enjoy
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it. As you begin to kind of let go of the rope,
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as you begin to feel the way it can carry your
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weight, you grow in confidence, you grow in that
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enjoyment. And that is what these verses call
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for us to do. That is what the Lord's Supper
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will call for us to do. To rest in Jesus. To
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entrust ourselves to Jesus. To look to the cross,
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not moving away, not adding to it, not wrapping
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it around in something more respectable or trying
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to replace it with something that seems to us
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more secure. Instead, looking to the cross and
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knowing there, that is where I see Jesus, the
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glorious son. That is where I see how much I
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am loved and how safe I am as his dearly loved
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brother and sister. Let me pray. Father God,
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thank you so much that the Lord Jesus is not
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ashamed to call us brothers. Thank you that he
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is your glorious son. And thank you that he has
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brought us into your loving family. We pray that
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we might know that, trust that, enjoy and rejoice
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in that truth. For his glory. And our blessing
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we pray. Amen.