Psalm 22

Welcome to God's Word for You, a ministry of Sharon R.P. Church in Morning Sun, Iowa. Check us out online at www.sharonrpc.org. We pray that this message will be a blessing to you and that the Lord will use it to transform your faith and your life. Hey, hey, welcome to Coffee and Devotions.
It's Sunday morning, January 31st. Well, we got a whole bunch of snow last night. Maybe if you're a member of the church, this is a notice to you, kind of an update of what's going on here. We are going to be going to Postpone church. So sorry, just trying to think things through here. So church will be at 4 o'clock. So if you normally worship with us online, we're not going to be doing it at 11 a.m. this morning, or at 10 a.m. this morning, sorry. We're going to be doing worship at 4 p.m.
Central Time. 4 p.m. in the building, central time. This gives time for the road crews to get the roads done. If you're planning on coming to the new members orientation class, that'll be immediately following at 5 o'clock with dinner. So worship is going to be at 4 o'clock this afternoon instead of the normal time at 10 a.m.
So enjoy some time at home on this Lord's Day. and enjoy your family, enjoy some time in the Word. Speaking of the Word, why don't we go ahead and do coffee and devotions now? I haven't gotten out of my car heart and stuff yet, but that's okay. Why don't we go ahead and we'll pray. We'll get into God's Word.
Lord, we thank you so much for this day. We thank you for this Word. We thank you for this day. We thank you for the love that Jesus Christ shows to us. We pray that we might understand you better this morning. In Jesus' name, amen. Alright, why don't we go ahead and turn into God's word this morning. Psalm 22. Psalm 22. To the chief musician set, the deer of the dawn, a psalm of David. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me? And from the words of my groaning? Oh my God, I cry in the daytime. but you do not hear, and in the night season, and am not silent.
But you are holy, enthroned in the praise of Israel. Our fathers trusted in you, they trusted, and you delivered them. They cried to you and were delivered, they trusted in you and were not ashamed. But I am a worm and no man, a reproach of men and despised by the people. All those who see me ridicule me. They shoot out their lip and shake their head, saying, he trusted in the Lord. Let him rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him. But you are he who took me out of the womb. You made me trust while on my mother's breast I was cast upon you from birth, from my mother's womb you have been my God. Be not far from me for trouble is near, for there is none to help.
Many bulls have surrounded me, strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me. They gape at me with their mouths like a raging and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax. It has melted within me. My strength is dried up like a pot shirt, and my tongue clings to my jaw. You have brought me to the dust, for dogs have surrounded me. The congregation of the wicked has enclosed me. They pierced my hands and feet. I count all my bones. They look at me and stare. They divide my garments among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots. But you, O LORD, do not be far from me. Oh my God, hasten to help me. Deliver me from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion's mouth and from the horns of the wild oxen. You have answered me.
I will declare your name to my brethren. In the midst of the assembly, I will praise you. You who fear the Lord, praise him. All you descendants of Jacob, glorify him and fear him, all you offspring of Israel. 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, my praise shall be of you in the great assembly. I will pay my vows before those who fear him. The poor shall eat and be satisfied. Those who seek Him will praise the Lord.
Let your heart live forever. All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord. And all the families of the nations you shall worship before you. For the kingdom is the Lord's, and He rules over the nations. 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. A prosperity shall serve him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation. They who come and declare his righteousness to a people who will be born, that he has done this."
Have you ever thought about what was Jesus thinking on the cross? When Jesus was being nailed to the cross, when he was there as the title of his offense, the King of the Jews, was written in Greek and Aramaic and Latin above his head, what was he thinking? Well, we know in part, he cries out, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
This is quoting from Psalm 22. And as it often is in the New Testament, when the author quotes just one portion, it's likely that they're talking about that whole psalm or that whole section of the scripture. And so this is what's on Jesus's mind. And we know that because this is such a messianic psalm.
Did you pick up the parts that he said? Look here. For dogs have surrounded me, the congregation of the wicked has enclosed me, they pierced my hands. and my feet. I count on my bones and they stare at me. They divide my garments among them, and my clothing they cast lots."
This is what Jesus is saying, right? He's saying all of this has come about, it's been prophesied about me. All this pain has come upon him, all this derision has come upon Christ. The wicked have surround him to the world it looks like somehow the wicked have won. Jesus is sitting there. You have brought me to the dust. My strength is dried up like a pot shirt.
Jesus was truly human, brothers and sisters. Jesus had flesh. Jesus has flesh just like us. They tortured him. They hung him to a cross. They pierced his hands and his feet. They tore his, or they cast lots for his garments at his feet. They ridiculed him and they mocked him. While he was there, on the throne. Did you pick up that part? When he talked about how they would say about, let him save himself? This is what's on Jesus's heart.
But notice that the psalm goes from despair to hope. Thank the Lord that there is always a movement from despair to hope. Jesus on that cross doesn't just look at his present circumstance, but he looks beyond it and into what he knows is the will of his father.
What does he say? But you, O Lord, do not be far from me. My strength, O my strength, hasten to help me. Jesus knows his father is not going to abandon him to the grave. What does he say? I will declare your name to my brethren in the midst of the assembly. I will praise you. This is Jesus knowing and trusting his father. He's not going to abandon him. He's going to be in the midst of his brethren again. He's going to praise This is the beauty of Jesus' confidence.
Yes, He's on the cross, and yes, in His humanity, He is frail, and He is weak, and He is dying, but as He is on the cross, He knows where His strength is, and that's in His Father in heaven. He trusts the promises of His Father that He had given Him the nations.
For He has not despised. or abhorred the affliction of the affliction, nor has he hidden his face from him. But when he cried, he heard. He knows even on the cross that as Jesus is crying out, he knows in his heart that his father is hearing his voice. That his father listens to his cries and his prayers. My praise shall be of you in the great assembly. I will pay my vows before those who fear him. The poor shall eat and be satisfied. Those who seek him will praise the Lord.
Let your heart live forever. Even on the cross, filled with all pain and sorrow, drinking the full cup of wrath of the Father for your sins and my sins, Jesus is able to look past the current suffering and to the promise and to the hope, let your heart live forever.
Isn't that our prayer? Isn't that our circumstance? So often when you and I, we are in our present suffering, we need to go back to the promises. Maybe this morning you're hurting, maybe this morning you're lonely, maybe this morning you've been struggling with pain or struggling with depression. Will you lift up your eyes and find strength in the promises of God?
Well you know that Jesus Christ has suffered and been tempted. That Jesus knows your pain. But if you are in Jesus though, there is hope. May your heart live forever. May you cry out like He said in the last words here, that they come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, that He has done this. God is merciful. God has accomplished His promises. God cares for and loves Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son. And if you are in Him, than You are His beloved.
Let's go ahead and pray. Father, we thank You so much for this day. We thank You that Jesus declaring the strength of the Lord, His promises, and the hope of eternal life we have was on His mind even as He was suffering on that cross for us. Lord, we pray that You would apply these words to our hearts that we would know what a wonderful Savior we have. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Well, I pray the Lord blesses you today. I hope you come back at four o'clock central time to worship with us. And until then, may the Lord bless you with joy and peace.
I'll see you later, bye. Thanks for listening to this week's message from God's Word for You, a ministry of Sharon R.P. Church in rural Southeast Iowa. We pray that the message would be used by God to transform your faith in your life this week. If you'd like to get more information about us, feel free to go to the website, SharonRPC.org. We'd love to invite you to worship with us. Our worship time is 10 a.m. every Sunday at 25204 160th Avenue, Morning Sun, Iowa, 52640. May God richly bless you this week.