The Sufferings of Christ and the Worship of God

Summer Psalms  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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Intro:

Museum: 3 rooms (David/Jesus/us); we are going to spend most of our time in the central room.
Please open your bibles/bible apps and follow along as we walk through this Psalm

The Sufferings of the Messiah

First Cry: Abandoned and Cursed

To the choir master: according to the Doe of the Dawn. A psalm of David.
Psalm 22:1–2 ESV
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.
The first line of this psalm is well known to us (we hear it in crucifixion stories in Matthew and Mark).
What some of you may not have realized (what I didn’t know) is that the psalm is about Jesus from start to finish
Not merely a line that Jesus happens to quote.
Not merely a section of a psalm that happens to be about our Messiah.
It is the very voice of Jesus from start to finish.
And so, why does he say this?
Partly: to alert
More ultimately: show us a rich, deep, terrifying, beautiful tapestry of his sufferings, in Psalm 22.
So, what does this mean?
Abandonment.
One preacher has noted that this is the only place in the gospels where Jesus calls the Father, “God” instead of “Father”...
I am groaning to you, God! I am screaming to you!
But I cannot find you, sense you, feel you, see you… and so I have no rest.
The Curse of God.
The great priestly blessing of the Old Testament was this:
Numbers 6:24–26 ESV
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
Here we see:
The absence of God’s shining face - that is, his favor.
The absence of peace or rest.
The absence of God’s gracious salvation.
The verse right before Jesus says this in Matthew:
Matthew 27:45 ESV
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.
This was not merely a man-made crucifixion.
(as Sproul said) It is as if the blessing is being read in reverse to Jesus: the Lord curse you and abandon you; the Lord turn his face from you; the Lord burn with wrath against you sins, and give you terror!
Galatians 3:13 ESV
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—
Consider:
David did not really experience this in full. God’s grace never deserted David.
David felt as though he had become a curse; Jesus actually became a curse.
So, Jesus knows the deepest darkness you have seen… and he has gone far past it.

First Remembrance: God is Holy and Faithful.

Psalm 22:3–5 ESV
Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
After his first cry, he remembers the holiness and faithfulness of God.
God, you have been rightly worshiped by Israel since you chose us as your people.
God, our ancestors trusted you - they were far from trusting you perfectly - and you rescued them time and time again (Exodus/Judges/Kings/Exile)
You are holy and I am innocent - where is your justice?

Second Cry: Disfigured and Covered with Shame.

“They were not put to shame - but me?” And so he begins his second cry:
Psalm 22:6–8 ESV
But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”
A worm: this isn’t referring so much to an earth worm, but more to an insect larva - a maggot.
“I am a maggot and not a man.”
Not just shame and accursedness, but repulsiveness.
On Jesus’ lips, this probably also refers to the mutilation of his body almost beyond recognition.
You would have done everything in your power to avoid getting close to him.
Scorned/despised/mocked:
Matthew 27:28–29 ESV
And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
Matthew 27:39–43 ESV
And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”
He was abandoned by God, and they took delight in it.
Their insults were piled on top of divine curse, like the twisting of a dagger already in the heart.

Second Remembrance: the Father’s faithfulness, the Son’s faithfulness

Psalm 22:9–10 ESV
Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts. On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
The incarnate Son of God had perfectly trusted the Father since conception!
“I have trusted you perfectly… why am I awash in a sea of shame and darkness!?”

Third Cry: Surrounded by the Wicked, Being Poured Out to Death.

Psalm 22:11–18 ESV
Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help. Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.
(vs. 11) None to help:
He was deserted by his friends, and Pilot, who should have prevented his murder, abandoned his responsibility.
Surrounded by a bloodthirsty crowd:
When human beings become malicious, they become like violent pack of wild animals.
A few human beings have experienced something like this:
In 1905, a mob was sent, on false pretenses by the infamous Mississippi governor James Vardaman, to burn down Christ Temple church’s meeting place. Christ Temple was a black congregation, and Governor Vardaman was a white supremacist. By God’s grace, no one was in the building. But, as the meeting hall and the printing office (filled with thousands of dollars of equipment and books being used for the cause of Christ!) burned, the mob - the pack of dogs - prevented anyone from putting the fire out. You can imagine the anguish of that congregation.
A member of our own congregation was recently in his patrol car, surrounded by a 300-400 person violent mob. He was heading to re-enforce a team of officers elsewhere in the city. There were 3 police cars traveling together through an intersection at that point, and he was in the first car. As they entered the mob, the driver yelled at him to watch out, and he saw one of the rioters run up to his door and throw the head of a sledge hammer at his window. By God’s grace, it struck the door frame just below the glass and bounced off, creating a large dent. He was shielded from the violent intentions of that ‘pack of dogs’.
Yet, in their cases:
Christ Temple Church quickly received funds, from both blacks and whites in their community, to rebuild a larger meeting hall than before. And, no one was killed in the blaze.
God kept our brother safe from the power of the dogs and from that sledge hammer head.
And we could even go on to talk about believers who suffered severe persecution and death… and yet the grace of God never deserted them.
But when Jesus called out to the Father, he received no answer:
“Many hands were raised to wound him/none would interpose to save...”
Jesus experienced no deliverance from the hammer or the blaze.
His hands and feet were pierced as they were nailed to a cross.
His cloths were divided among his enemies - a thing of utter shame.
Thus, under God’s wrath for our sin, and being slowly, tortuously killed by wicked men:
His heart melted like wax
His strength dried up
He was laid down in the dust of death by the Father
In short: he became the Cursed One for us.
Surrounded by dogs, he became lower than a dog that he might offer salvation to dogs.
We are dogs. Don’t say: I’m not like those racists! I’m not like those ANTIFA anarchists! Apart from Jesus, you are an enemy of God.
Consider: Jesus suffered for our sins. That means his suffering is a picture of how horrifying our sins are!

Fourth Cry: Deliver me!

Psalm 22:19–21 ESV
But you, O Lord, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid! Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!
Up to this point I have been saying that the Father did not answer Jesus’ cry for help. What I have meant is that the Father did not answer Jesus until Jesus had plunged to the very bottom of darkness, the hottest flame of God’s wrath, the deepest pit of shame.
But then, he did answer him:
Hebrews 5:7 ESV
In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.
Meaning:
From one angle, Jesus’ plea to be rescued was heard because, even though he was God, he lived a truly human life of perfect reverence.
He was completely innocent, completely holy.
He trusted in a completely faithful God.
As a result, death could not hold him.

The Worship of God

What was the result of all of this?

First Thanksgiving: The Father has Raised Up the Son!

Psalm 22:22–24 ESV
I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him.
You might wonder if it is still right to credit these words to Jesus. Could it be that the “Jesus” part of the psalm ended with verse 21, and the rest is just David?
Verse 22 is quoted in Hebrews chapter 2 as the words of Jesus, showing that this thanksgiving section also belongs to him.
What does it mean that Jesus would tell of God’s name to us (vs. 22)?
It means that he has made God known to us (orig. words can have that meaning) - most especially by his suffering and by his resurrection.
What does it mean that Jesus praised the Father (also vs. 22)?
Doesn’t it seem strange to say that Jesus - God the Son - ‘praised’ God the Father?
He did not ‘worship’ God in the same sense that we, mere creatures, worship God as our creator.
But note:
John 17:4 ESV
I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.
John 17:1 ESV
When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,
The purpose of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus was to bring honor to the Father!
How so?
First, his resurrection demonstrated the power of God over death, and the power of God to save from sin.
Second, everything that Jesus said, and that his apostles said, to explain the meaning of Jesus’ resurrection has brought deep honor to God by putting his power, faithfulness, justice, love, and holiness on display.
So, in verse 23, we are to stand in awe of him.
Since God through Christ has defeated death, should we be afraid when the nations rage? (racism/anarchy)
Instead, let us worship him.

Second Thanksgiving: A Peace Offering

Psalm 22:25–26 ESV
From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him. The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live forever!
The result of the resurrection is the worship of God.
But there is also a result for God’s people:
The phrase in verse 25, “My vows I will perform,” as David spoke it, referred to an OT ‘peace offering’, as outlined in Leviticus chapter 7.
The person whom God had rescued from some danger would sacrifice an animal, and the whole community would celebrate by feasting on the animal’s meat.
But on Jesus’ lips, this probably refers to the way in which he became the bread of life for us:
We ‘feast on him’ by faith in our relationship with him, and are satisfied.
Verse 26, ‘May your hearts live forever’ - we have eternal life in him.
Again in the same verse, “all those who seek him shall praise the Lord.” Because of what he has done for us, let us worship him.

Third Thanksgiving: This Mighty Act of God will be Remembered to the Ends of the Earth and Through all Generations

But it doesn’t end there!
Psalm 22:27–31 ESV
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive. Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.
In verse 27: “turn to the Lord” means being converted to true faith. Then it says that these same families that turn to the Lord shall worship him
So, to be converted to Christianity and to become a true worshiper of God are the same thing.
And, in context, they will be converted by hearing of God’s act of might in the sacrifice and resurrection of his only Son.
In verse 29: not only will this worship be global, it will include every kind of person
The “prosperous” - the proud and the rich will humble themselves and partake in the bread of life and worship God.
“Those who go down to the dust” - the poor, the humble, and the suffering, “who could not keep themselves alive” - that is, those who died in faith. They also shall worship God for his victory over sin and death through Christ.
In verses 30-31: this worship will include, “a people yet unborn.”
God will be worshiped for his saving power throughout all generations.
In Phil. 2:8-11 it says about Jesus:
Philippians 2:8–11 ESV
And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Remembering that God is one God and yet three persons,
We worship not only the God the Father, who raised Jesus from the dead,
And God the Spirit, who gives us life and teaches us to worship,
But we also worship God the Son, Jesus Christ
We worship him because:
He has taken the wrath of God in our place, becoming a curse for us so that we might have the eternal blessing of God.
(Verse 28) Kingship belongs to the risen Christ, and he rules over the nations.
We worship Father, Son, and Spirit - we worship God - because, as it says in Ps. 22:31, “He has done it.”

Benediction:

Numbers 6:24–26 ESV
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
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