Summer Psalms #2 - The Psalm of the Cross
Psalm 22:1-31
Sermon by Rick Crandall
McClendon Baptist Church - June 3, 2009
(Revised for Grayson Baptist Church - Oct. 16, 2011)
*Charles Spurgeon tells us that “this is beyond all others The Psalm of the Cross. It may have been actually repeated word by word by our Lord when hanging on the tree... It would be too bold to say that it was so, but even a casual reader may see that it might have been. It begins with, ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ and ends, according to some, in the original with ‘It is finished. . .’
*We may say of this Psalm, ‘there is none like it.’ It is the (picture) of our Lord’s saddest hours, the record of his dying words, the (vessel) of his last tears, the memorial of his expiring joys. . . Before us we have a description of both the darkness and the glory of the cross... The sufferings of Christ and the glory which shall follow. Oh for grace to draw near and see this great sight!” (1)
*What will we see in this Psalm? -- We will see 6 things about Jesus.
1. First: We see Jesus wondering about injustice.
*In vs. 1-3:
1. My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?
2. O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent.
3. But You are holy, Who inhabit the praises of Israel.
*“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” -- First, let me say that there is a circle of prophecy and fulfillment in these words.
-Yes, Jesus was quoting this Psalm on the cross, but that was a most appropriate thing for the Lord to do. Jesus was quoting these particular words, because God knows the end from the beginning. And a thousand years before it happened, God revealed the words He would speak on the cross.
*But notice that the Lord was wondering about injustice in our world: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
*Our wonderful Savior was so willing to identify with us that He was willing to subject Himself to the same kind of confusion that we go through.
-Why? -- Why is this terrible thing happening to me?
-Why did I lose my job?
-Why did I get sick?
-Why is my family member sick?
-Why did that wreck happen?
-Why did they die so soon?
-Why is my family so messed up?
*Once I got an email from a young Christian who was going through a tough family problem. She was frustrated with God, and wondering why things were going wrong. One thing I told her is that it is o.k. to ask “why.” We know this because Jesus asked “why” on the cross, and He never did anything wrong.
*The problem with asking why is that many times we won’t get an answer in this world. That’s why a wise man once said that a better question is, “What now?” -- “What should I do now, Lord?”
*I told the young lady that over time, God will surely show her the answer to THIS question. God will show us what to do. He will lead us even through the darkest valley.
*And it helps to know that He has been there too. “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
-In this Psalm we see Jesus wondering about injustice.
2. And we see Him in a wondrous relationship with the Heavenly Father.
*God reveals this wondrous relationship to us in vs. 9-10. And this is an amazing revelation:
9. But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust when I was on My mother’s breasts.
10. I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb You have been My God.
*Mysteries of the incarnation: Surely Jesus had to learn to walk and talk, just like you and me. He had to be potty-trained.
*But at the same time, Jesus never stopped being God. And His relationship with the Father was so close from all eternity past, that He could utter these amazing words: “You made Me trust when I was on My mother’s breasts. From My mother’s womb You have been My God.”
*I have known some people who got saved at a very young age. My mentor, Bro. Savoie, got saved when he was 5. And our daughter, Becky, was saved when she was 5.
-But only Jesus could say: “You made Me trust when I was on My mother’s breasts. From My mother’s womb You have been My God.”
*We see another example of this uniquely close relationship in the Lord’s prayer from John 17:1-5. Just a few hours before He died on the cross for us, Jesus:
1. . . . lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,
2. as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.
3. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
4. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.
5. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”
*In Psalm 22 we see Jesus in a wondrous relationship with the Father.
3. And we see Jesus willing to suffer for us.
[1] Jesus was willing to suffer apparent abandonment by His Heavenly Father. Listen to the Lord’s cry in vs. 4-8:
4. Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them.
5. They cried to You, and were delivered; They trusted in You, and were not ashamed.
6. But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised of the people.
7. All those who see Me laugh Me to scorn; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
8. "He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!’’
*Matt 27:39-43 reports the fulfillment of this prophecy:
39. And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads
40. and saying, "You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.’’
41. Likewise the chief priests, also mocking with the scribes and elders, said,
42. "He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.
43. "He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, `I am the Son of God.’ ’’
*On top of everything else the Lord had to endure for us, He had to listen to this mocking as He hung on the cross.
-Aren’t you glad Jesus didn’t come down from that cross!
*Except for His great love, it would have been easy for Him to do. But Jesus was willing to suffer this mocking of apparent abandonment by His Father.
[2] Jesus was also willing to suffer the unparalleled agony of the cross. Hear the Lord in vs. 11-18:
11. Be not far from Me, For trouble is near; For there is none to help.
12. Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me.
13. They gape at Me with their mouths, As a raging and roaring lion.
14. I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me.
15. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death.
16. For dogs have surrounded Me; The assembly of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet;
17. I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me.
18. They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.
*Jesus went through all of that for you -- and for me.
-We see Him willing to suffer.
4. And we see Him winning the victory.
*Notice in vs. 19-21:
19. But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me!
20. Deliver Me from the sword, My precious life from the power of the dog.
21. Save Me from the lion’s mouth And from the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered Me.
*Vs. 21 in the KJV says: “Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.” This seems strange to us, but one Bible dictionary says that this probably refers to the great aurochs or wild bulls which are now extinct.
*But notice that the Lord says: “You have answered Me.” Or “Thou hast heard me.”
*There’s the victory! -- “Father, You have answered Me.”
*That victory was never in doubt. That’s why Hebrews 12:2 tells us to look “unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
*That victory for the Lord and His followers was never in doubt. That’s why in Psalm 22:22, He says, “I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the congregation I will praise You.”
*Hebrews 2:9-12 explains this verse:
9. we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.
10. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
11. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,
12. saying: “I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the congregation I will sing praise to You.”
*The victory was never in doubt.
-That’s why Rom 8:37 tells us that in all of our trials, “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”
*World War II was a great victory, -- one of the greatest military, political and moral victories of all time. Millions of people were set free, and one of those people was Mrs. Anna Ozdoba.
*Today Miss Anna lives in West Monroe, but she was born and raised in Ukraine. When Anna was just 15 years old, she was kidnapped by the Nazis and taken to Germany to work as a slave laborer on a farm.
*Things were so bad, that Anna prayed to die. But one day as she was praying, she drifted off to sleep, and in a dream saw Jesus sitting next to her. When Anna thought about Jesus and all the suffering He went through for us, she decided that she would never again ask God to take her life.
*Then came the victory. From the prison-farm, Anna could see the building that served as local Nazi headquarters, with the Swastika flag flying above. One day the flag was different. Anna didn’t know what it meant, but a friend of hers said, “Don’t you know what that is? -- It’s a British flag.” The war had been won! That day Anna left the farm as a free woman. It made all the difference when she realized that the victory had been won.
*Jesus Christ won the battle for the universe when He died on the cross for our sins. And He proved it when He rose from the dead 3 days later! -- Oh, that we would realize that we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us!
-In Psalm 22 we see Jesus winning the victory.
5. And we see Him worthy of our praise.
*In vs. 23 we praise Him because He is worthy of our reverence: “You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!”
*In vs. 24 we praise Him, because He is full of compassion for us: “For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from Him; But when He cried to Him, He heard.”
*In vs. 25&26 we praise Him because He makes it possible for us to be a blessing to other people: “My praise shall be of You in the great congregation; I will pay My vows before those who fear Him. The poor shall eat and be satisfied.”
*In vs. 26 we also praise Him because He gives us everlasting life: “Those who seek Him will praise the Lord. Let your heart live forever!”
*Jesus Christ is worthy of our praise! -- And it is one of the best things we can ever do.
*Pastor John Piper explained: God is after us to give us what is best -- not prestige, wealth or even health in this life but a full-blown vision of and fellowship with Himself. . . To be supremely loving, God must give us what will be best for us and delight us most; He must give us Himself. But what do we do when we are given or shown something excellent, something we enjoy? -- We praise it.
*We praise new little babies that manage not to be bent all out of shape in birth: "O, look at that nice round head; and all that hair; and his hands, aren’t they big!"
-We praise a lover’s face after a long absence: "Your eyes are like the sky; your hair is like silk; O, you are beautiful to me."
-We praise a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth when we are down by three runs.
-We praise the trees along the river during a fall boat trip. . .
*There’s the key: we praise what we enjoy because the delight is incomplete until it is expressed in praise. If we were not allowed to speak of what we value, and celebrate what we love, and praise what we admire, our joy would not be full. Therefore, if God is truly for us, if He would give us the best and make our joy full, He must make it His aim to win our praise for Himself, the most beautiful of all Beings.” (2)
*Jesus Christ is worthy of our praise! -- And the more we delight in Him, the more we will praise Him.
*The question is: Are we delighted in Him? -- Or are we distracted by what’s going on in our lives?
-In Psalm 22, we see Jesus worthy of our praise.
6. And we see Him ruling the world forever.
*What a wonderful world it will be in vs. 27-31:
27. All the ends of the world Shall remember and turn to the Lord, And all the families of the nations Shall worship before You.
28. For the kingdom is the Lord’s, And He rules over the nations.
29. All the prosperous of the earth Shall eat and worship; All those who go down to the dust Shall bow before Him, Even he who cannot keep himself alive.
30. A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation,
31. They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, That He has done this.
*Through the church of God and the grace of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, this is the place we are heading. We are not there yet, but this is the place we are heading. And an indescribably wonderful future lies ahead for all who trust in the Lord.
*I like this testimony from Pastor Bill Bouknight: "On Nov. 19th of 2001, a great lady of faith in (our) Church, Mrs. Julia Atkinson, transferred from earth to heaven. I remember visiting her in October of that year. Cancer was stealing her strength, but not her confidence of spirit.
*She said, ’I don’t want any (more) chemotherapy. I’m not afraid to die.’ Then with a smile and twinkling brown eyes she added, ’I have lived a full life here, and now I’m ready for the rest of the story.’” (3)
*We can be ready for the rest of the story because of what we see in the Psalm of the cross. -- Make sure you are ready.
*You can do that right now, as we go to the Lord in prayer.
1. “The Treasury of David” by Charles Haddon Spurgeon
2. Adapted from KERUX SERMON COLLECTION - ID Number: 9 - PREACHER: Rev. John Piper - LOCATION: Bethlehem Baptist Church; Minneapolis, Minnesota - DATE: 8/10/1980 - MAIN TEXT: Revelation 5:11-13 - Key Ideas: Praise - Title: Is God For Us Or For Himself?
3. Adapted from ChristianGlobe.com sermon “Don’t Be Afraid of the Future” by Bill Bouknight - John 20:1-18 or Matt 28:1-10 - Easter Day 2002
