Let us turn back to the portion we have read together. Book of Psalms chapter 22. Centering your attention on words we find particularly in verses 22 and 23. I will declare thy name unto my brethren. In the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. Ye that fear the Lord, praise him. All ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him. And fear him, all ye the seed of Israel. Three strands of thought that we want to follow through here this morning together. First of all, this text speaks of Christ as a brother in the midst of his people. I will declare thy name unto my brethren. In the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. First of all, then Christ is a brother to his people. And then secondly, Christ standing in the midst of his people, I've just referred to. And thirdly, Christ speaking by way of exhortation to his people. In verse 23, ye that fear the Lord, praise him. All ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him. And fear him, all ye the seed of Israel. These three thoughts then, Christ as a brother, Christ in the midst of his people, and Christ exhorting his people. Spending more time probably on the second of these this morning. First, Christ as a brother to his people. This is a Messianic Psalm, Psalm 22. It's centered on Christ. The first part of it is taken up with the sufferings of Christ. Starting with these words on the cross, spoken prophetically by David, my God, my God, why hast thou me forsaken? And proceeding in that vein, I am a worm and no man, an approach of men and despised of the people. All that see me laugh me to scorn. And those round the cross who cried he trusted in the Lord that he would deliver him, let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. Speaking of the enemies who surrounded him, especially the posher darkness, many bulls have compassed me, strong bulls of vision have beset me. I am poured out like water, my strength is dried up like a portrait, and so on. The sufferings of Christ in the first part of this Psalm. But when we come to the portion of our text, it is the risen Christ that we meet. It is Christ himself who is speaking to us. I will declare thy name unto my brethren. In the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. Ye that fear the Lord, praise him. And so on. We find the same, we find proof that it is Christ who is speaking. We find that in the New Testament scriptures also. The writer to the Hebrews chapter two, verse 12, quotes this very verse in speaking of Christ. We are left in no doubt that it is Christ himself who is speaking here. And that is very much in line with what we read, that his people are spoken of as the seed of Jacob. Jacob, as you know, had 12 sons, and they were brothers, of course. Brothers to Joseph. a type of the Christ of the New Testament. Oh, how unworthy they were of being brothers of Joseph. Oh, how unworthy we are in ourselves that we should be spoken of as brothers to the Lord Jesus Christ. But that's what we read of in the New Testament scriptures, where the doctrine of adoption is enunciated to us more clearly than anywhere else in scripture. to the righteousness of Christ put to our account, adopted into the number of the elect, and having a right to all the privileges of the sons of God. And also not just in the doctrine of adoption, but also in the doctrine of regeneration. Adoption gives us the right to all the privileges of sons of God. Just as adoption naturally, in this world, gives the person who is adopted the right to have his name put into the inheritance of the farm or the business, whatever it is. But you can't, adoption does not give him the same color of eyes, doesn't give him the DNA of the family, doesn't give him the likeness, but regeneration alongside adoption, not only has there a right to the privileges of the sons of God, but to be conformed to the likeness of the sons of God, begins at the moment of regeneration and continues in our process of sanctification until the end, when they are brought with joy and mirth on every side into the palace of the King. That is then these doctrines of adoption and regeneration very clearly bring before us the sonship, sonship through the merits of Christ. We are adopted sons. He is the eternally begotten son. He must always have the preeminence among sons. But what a glorious privilege it is that sinners such as I am should be accounted sons of the almighty God. brothers of Christ, a brother born for adversity, a brother who stood in my Roman place and gives me the right now to be called a son of God. Well, Christ then in the speaking of those people as brothers. And then secondly, and I want to spend a little more time on this, Christ in the midst of his people, in the midst of the congregation, would I praise thee. Amazing how often in Scripture We read of God, well, Christ, the second person, speak of God in the midst of his people. We find it in type in the Old Testament book of numbers. After the children of Israel were numbered, we find that the There was a structure about the way they were ordered. The tribes were placed, some to the west, some to the north, some to the south, some to the, so on, right round the tabernacle. the tabernacle where, well, in the most holy place there, the Shekinah glory dwelt, which was the symbol of the presence of the Lord with his people. Right in the midst of his people there, surrounded by his people, surrounding the tabernacle, surrounding the most holy place, surrounding the Shekinah glory, God, Christ in the midst. God in the midst of her doth dwell, says the psalmist. Nothing shall her remove. The Lord to her an helper will, and that right early prove. Christ was found on a cross between two thieves in the midst. Christ the risen one appeared to his disciples and stood in the midst and spoke, peace be unto you. John in Patmos speaks of the lamb, Christ, in the midst of the throne and his people surrounding him, surrounding that throne and singing his praises. Christ is in the midst as a prophet, as a priest, and as a king. He's there as the prophet, as we read of here, and he's speaking of being in the midst of his brethren. I will declare thy name unto my brethren. Prophet is one who teaches. teaches us by His Spirit, the will of God for our salvation. Christ is in the midst of His people here today. We have that promise. Where the twos and threes are gathered together in my name, I am in the midst, He is in the midst, in the middle of His people there to give us the spirit of worship. And He is there, as I've just said, as a prophet first and foremost, to teach us about the name of God. I will declare thy name unto my brethren. The name of God with a song most graciously will raise. Blessed are those who know the joyful sound concerning the name of God. The name of God speaks of the revealed character of God. And where is the character of God revealed to us? Surely in Christ did he not say to Nathanael, he that hath seen me hath seen the Father. It's in Christ and Him crucified that we find that covenant that was made in the everlasting council between the Father and the Son. It's there revealed. And there revealed to us is God the Father as a Father of holy mercies. God of loving kindnesses and tender mercies. The word chesed is the word that's used throughout scripture to describe him. Loving kindnesses, a commitment on the part of the father towards his people. In Christ, of course, it's only in Christ, but in Christ, a commitment on the part of the father to do nothing but good to his own. He so loved them that he gave his only begotten Son. And he that spared not his own son, how shall he not now with him freely give them all things? And the all things include life eternal. There from the Father and there from the Son also, when he desired life of thee, thou life to him didst give. even such a length of days that he forevermore should live. Christ had life for himself as the one who is God, but as the mediator, he was given life for his people. And he now lives to bestow upon his people what he has died to win for them, that eternal life from father and son and spirit. The character of the father particularly revealed to us in his loving kindness in Christ, towards us all. Undeserved by us, but all of grace. And he's there in the midst also as the king. All power, all dominion given to him in earth and in heaven. and that dominion given to him for the good of his church. He reigns over every aspect of providence in your life and mine. He reigns over all aspects of creation. He reigns in all aspects of redemption. Every single item of providence Every major part of providence, they are all weaving together towards this great goal that was purposed from the unbeginning, to bring many sons to glory, to bring his people into the full enjoyment of himself to all eternity. The providence may be mysterious to us and often is in its outwardnesses. And many a times we will say, why is this? But we see the tapestry from the underneath and it looks so rough, but God sees it from above and he sees the pattern and the design. We must, by faith, lay hold of the design that is there in God's purpose towards his people. And there all things are working together for good to those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. Even the trust, even the sorenesses that are there in the lives of his people are part and parcel of this providence, where everything is working together for their good. to bring them to a realization of their need. Oh, how we need that, to be more conscious of our deficiencies and our needs and our shelves, to be brought to the fullness that is in Christ, to be brought with the cry of the public, and Lord, have mercy upon me, the sinner, to draw out of that fullness, to be conformed more and more to the character of the one who never murmured, who was always content, always did the will of God, that we might learn more and more our dependence upon grace, that we might learn more and more submission to the will of God. The providence of God is ordered and making all things work to the ultimate good of his people. He is the King then who reigns Our warfare is against spiritual powers in high places. We have enemies within ourselves, fifth columnists. We have enemies without ourselves. And we find the weakness that is with us to war a good warfare, but oh, how thankful we should be that there's a throne, a kingly throne to which we can come, that we may obtain grace may obtain mercy and grace to help in time of need. A gracious king who reigns over all for the good of his people. And he's in the midst of his people as their priest also. The priest who suffered in their Roman place. The priest through whose merits they have entitlement. to sonship, in whose merits they have entitlement to glory ultimately. The priest who stood where they ought to stand, they wouldn't be sons otherwise, but there in him. The priest who now is there in heaven touched with the feeling of his people's infirmities. He has met in our nature all the difficulties and greater that his people can ever meet. He has met bereavement. He wept at the tomb of his friend Lazarus. He has met reproach, we read of in the very psalm that we're looking at. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He knew the trials of the wilderness where the enemy came against him. He knew the trial and temptation that was part and parcel of Gethsemane itself. And he knew the temptation and trial that was there on the cross. He could say, is there any sorrow like my sorrow? And we cannot now come to him and he'll say to us, I don't understand you. I've never met that before myself. He is able to meet us at every point of need. He never says go away. He never spurns the afflicted's cry. It is always from this gracious priest come unto me all that labor and are heavily laden. Oh, we come to him with our guilt and our sins. There's a graciousness, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin and from all iniquity. We come to him out of prayer for such who rise from our knees and we're ashamed of ourselves and our offerings. But we have a priest who places these offerings through the golden censer of his own intercession, and who gives them the dialect of heaven. They are made acceptable in him. We have a priest who is the great advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He's in the midst of his people as prophet, priest, and king. And he's there, as I said already, as the one who makes the Father's character known to us. The God of the covenant, the God of loving kindnesses and tender mercies. He's there as the one who leads in the praise of the sanctuary in the midst of his people. where the twos and threes are gathered together in his name, he's in the midst. And he leads in the place of the sanctuary, declaring the name of God, declaring the character of God, declaring the covenant character of God. He does so through his sent preachers, by the spirit, through the truth. And oh, we should remember these poor persons who occupy the pulpits of our churches in prayer, that they would be very kept close to the Lord, that they would have the mind of the Lord, and that they would be enabled to have a portion to themselves to communicate from heaven to his people when we are gathered together, because he's there in the midst to speak to us of the name of God. I will declare thy name. I will be there in the worship, in the midst of my people." And also he says, in the midst of the congregation, will I praise thee. And that tells us that he leads us in the midst of his people, in the place of the sanctuary, through the instrumentality of our presenter. He is leading us in the praise of the sanctuary this morning. We should remember that. Seeking to make melody in our hearts the glory of his grace as we sing these words. Singing these words in praise of him who stood where I ought to stand. but singing these words to one another as well, exalting one another and encouraging one another in the worship and praise of this glorious savior, Christ in the midst of his people. And now more briefly, Christ speaking by way of exaltation to his people. And that we have in verse 23, Ye that fear the Lord, praise him. All ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him. And fear him, all ye the seed of Israel. Beautiful names given to his people. Seed of Jacob. Oh, that's a likely name to give us. Jacob had many, many blemishes, and so have we. but all he was saved by grace. And so will all his people being saved and will be saved. The seed of Israel. Israel is another name. Jacob was a prince with God. And when he was made a prince with God, he was given that name of Israel. He has raised us as princes from the dunghill. And it's to those that the exaltation is given. to his believing ones, to those conscious of their own weaknesses, but cleaving ruth like as it were, to the Lord Jesus Christ and his finished work in my room and place. Nothing in my hands I bring, cleaving there to him. Ah, you're a seat of Jacob. Ah, you're a seat of Israel. and the exaltation is there to you. The exaltations are there to you. Praise him. Oh, give him the preeminence. Seek in prayer that you might have that spirit of Paul for me to live as Christ and to die again. Glorify him. That is your chief end. Man's chief end is to glorify Him and thus to enjoy Him. That glorification, that service of God, service to God, to serve Him is the gateway into the enjoyment of God. It's the gateway into the assurance of my status in Christ. And there's one other exhortation. Fear him, all ye the seed of Israel. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. It's not a slavish fear, you know that. Slavish fear belongs to those out of Christ. The ones in Christ is the seed of Jacob, the believing seed of Jacob. It's a fear lest I offend against his glorious name. It's like a child with an artist whom she admires, he or she admires, and the artist is going to teach her to make a drawing on a paper, and she's got the paintbrush in her hand, and he's got her hand in his hand, but he's teaching her and she has to put the brush on the paper and she's afraid that she'll put a blemish on that paper and that she'll bring discredit upon him, this artist whom she so admires. Well, that's a small, poor, poor illustration of what we have here. The believer conscious of his own tendency to fork, conscious of his own sinfulness, afraid that he will bring shame upon the name of the one all should we not admire who stood in my Roman place, very God of very God who calls me a son, a brother. A fear of bringing shame upon his name is like a century at the doorpost of the soul, at the doorpost of the heart. And the sentry is saying, who goes there? Lest any worthiness of thought, lest any sinfulness of thought, lest any sinfulness of motive enter into my actions. That fear that says, who goes there? and independence upon the same spirit frees from that sin unto Christ himself. That sentry that Christ who goes there and who welcomes thoughts that are God glorifying, Christ-centered, self-abasing. Christ in the midst of his people. Christ, there is a brother. I will declare thy name unto those that my brethren are. Amidst the congregation, thy name I will declare. Let us pray. Bring us under the majesty, under the authority of thy presence. Lest we enter into the worship in a casual, lackluster manner. Help us to realize what we are about when we take thy name on our lips and thy word in our hands. We are on holy ground. It becomes as with Moses at the burning bush to take off our shoes from off our feet. The place of which we stand is holy. And that we would seek that all as a worldliness would not enter into our worship. that that independence upon the sent spirit we would lay hold of the one whose hold upon his people is stronger than their hold upon him within that covenant of grace. Receive us in his name, cleanse us of sin in our hearing and speaking. Amen.