The answer is this: when we are singing to the Father, Jesus is singing within us. Now is the time when Hebrews 2:12 is being fulfilled. When we are singing a hymn to the Father, Jesus, the firstborn among many brethren, is singing within our singing. That is the way He sings praises to the Father in the midst of the church. He sings within our singing.
But here is a problem: are you sure that whenever you sing in the church, Christ is singing within your singing? When you say Amen, does Christ say Amen within you? Are you assured that when you say Hallelujah, Christ also says Hallelujah within your Hallelujah? If you could not say yes, then I must tell you to shut your mouth. Don’t say Hallelujah any more unless you are assured that when you say Hallelujah, the Lord Jesus says Hallelujah within you.
Do you feel after reading this that I am binding your Hallelujahs? Yes, I do bind what has already been bound: I do loose what has already been loosed. I do not agree with the old way of Christianity—that is something dead, that is something fallen. I do not agree either with anything that is an abuse of our liberty. It is so easy for us to go either to one extreme or to another. On one hand we need to be centripetal, that is, tending toward the center; on the other hand we need also to be centrifugal, that is, tending to move away from the center. These two laws will keep us in the proper balance. On one hand, it is not right to take the old way of deadness; neither is it right to take a new way of looseness, abusing and misusing our liberty. I am not trying to bind you; my intention is to release you. But you must realize that all the release, all the liberty, must be in the spirit. When I say Hallelujah, I must have the assurance that the Lord Jesus within me is saying Hallelujah. If the Lord Jesus is saying inwardly, “No, I do not go along with your Hallelujah,” then my Hallelujah is entirely wrong. The Lord Jesus today is one with all His members.
Hebrews 2 refers to two Psalms, Psalm 8 and Psalm 22. We have seen that Psalm 8 speaks concerning Christ: “What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that Thou visitest him? For Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor...Thou hast put all things under his feet.” We know that this man, this one of whom the psalmist is speaking, is Jesus. Psalm 8 tells us that Jesus was identified with man. He was the Creator of all the angels, but He was made a little lower than the angels. He was incarnated to be a man, and by His incarnation He was identified with man. The Hebrew text for the word “man” in the question, “What is man?” is a word which denotes a fragile man, a weak man. Man is so fragile and weak; yet Jesus identified Himself with such a creature. While He was on earth, practically speaking, He was not physically strong. He was in a sense weak and fragile; He identified Himself with such a race.
Psalm 8 tells us that from the youngest ones, the least ones, the weakest of such a race, God could do one thing—He could establish praise. How could God establish praise out of the mouths of such weak ones? Just by these four or five steps: 1) Christ’s incarnation. The entire universe had never seen such a thing. God could establish praises out of the mouths of babes and sucklings firstly by Christ’s incarnation, by His identification with man. 2) His crucifixion. Of course, in Psalm 8 we do not have the crucifixion, just the incarnation with the glorification. Man is made a little lower than the angels—this is the incarnation. He is crowned with glory and honor—this is the glorification. But following Psalm 8, in Psalm 22 His crucifixion is covered. 3) His resurrection. In Psalm 22, after the crucifixion, we have the resurrection. The Lord’s declaring of the Father’s name to His brethren was a sign of His resurrection. 4) His glorification. After His resurrection He was crowned with glory and honor. 5) His enthronement. All things have been put under His feet. He has been enthroned as the Lord of all, as the King of kings.
By these five ways—the incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, glorification, and enthronement—God could establish praises out of the mouths of the weakest of this weak race. By these five steps of Christ, God fulfills Psalm 8, verse 2. You may ask, “What has this to do with me?” The answer is—too much! If we did not have these five major steps of Christ in this universe, none of us could utter a word of praise. All the mouths of men would be shut. How could we praise God without Christ’s incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and enthronement? You may say, “O God, You are my Creator!” But God would say, “You are a sinner!” Then what will you say? You may say, “O God, I thank You for Your mercy.” But God would say, “How could I have mercy upon you?” Without the work of Christ there is no way.
Oh, how we need to see the way whereby God can establish praises out of the mouths of us who are the weakest, the least, and less than the least! By His incarnation, Christ was made one with us. We are lower than the angels, and He is too; He was made the same as we. By His crucifixion, all our problems have been solved. God can never say to you, “You are a sinner.” If God says this to you, you must tell Him, “O God, You are not just, You are not righteous, You are not fair in saying this, because my substitute Christ has died for me.” You see, there is no reason whatever for you not to praise. By Christ’s incarnation, Christ has become one with me. By His crucifixion, I am no more a sinner. By His resurrection, I become a son of God. Tell me, who is greater, the President of the United States or you? Suppose that the President is not a son of God—is he greater, or you? You are greater! You have to shout, “Hallelujah! I am greater, I am greater!” What makes you so great? His resurrection. By His resurrection, you have been made a brother of Christ. Then, do you have any reason not to praise? Do you see? In this way God has established praises out of the mouths of the weakest. You may have many children and may, materially speaking, be rather poor, but are you not more glorious than the greatest millionaire? Praise the Lord! In His glorification, we all have been glorified. We are more glorious! You see, it is so easy for God to establish praises out of the mouths of so many weaker ones. If you have ever seen the incarnation of Christ, the crucifixion, the resurrection, the glorification, and the enthronement, you will be beside yourself saying, “Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!”
This is not all. The most wonderful thing is that this incarnated One, this crucified One, this resurrected One, this glorified One, this enthroned One is altogether today the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45). And He as the all-inclusive, life-giving Spirit indwells my spirit, and I am one spirit with Him (1 Cor. 6:17). What is this! Oh, what is this!
Hebrews 2 refers us to Psalm 8, which tells of Christ’s incarnation, glorification and enthronement. Hebrews 2 also refers us to Psalm 22, which speaks of His crucifixion and resurrection. When we put these two Psalms together, we have these five marvelous, glorious steps of Christ: His incarnation, His crucifixion, His resurrection, His glorification, and His enthronement. By all these five steps, Christ has been made one with us, and we have been made one with Him. Now Christ is not only in the church, but Christ is the church (1 Cor. 12:12). And He says, “I will sing praise unto Thee in the midst of the church.” In what way? By being one with the church, by being one with all the members, and by them being made one with Him. When they sing, He sings in their singing. He sings by their singing; He sings within their singing. Their singing is His singing. They are one with Him, and He is one with them. They are in Him, and He is in them. Hallelujah!