It s All About The Cross of Christ Psalm 22:1-31 1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? 2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. 3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. 4 In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. 5 To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; 8 He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him! 9 Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother s breasts. 10 On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother s womb you have been my God. 11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help. 12 Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; 13 they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. 14 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; 15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. 16 For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet 17 I can count all my bones they stare and gloat over me; 18 they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. 19 But you, O LORD, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid! 20 Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! 21 Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen! 22 I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: 23 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! 24 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. 25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him. 26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD! May your hearts live forever! 27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.
28 For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations. 29 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. 30 Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; 31 they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it. How do I know that the Bible is the inspired Word of God? No one could write a book like the Bible apart from divine inspiration. The Fulfilled Prophecies The Unity of the Bible. Psalm 22 was written 1,000 years before Jesus Christ. And it sounds as if someone is standing at the foot of the cross writing this Psalm. This psalm speaks of the nailing of Jesus to the cross, "they pierced my hands and my feet," crucifixion like that was not known until the Romans came. The Jews executed by stoning. And yet we have a picture of a Roman form of execution that was going to come 800 years later. This psalm contains thirty-three distinct prophecies which were fulfilled at Calvary. But not only the fulfilled prophecy, but the wonderful unity of the Bible. The Old and the New Testament tell the same story. The Bible has but one hero, His name is Jesus. The Bible has but one villain, his name is Satan. The Bible has but one message, Jesus saves. Jesus saves. Three things we see about the cross in Psalm 22 1. The Prophecy of the Cross 2. The Agony of the Cross 3. The Victory of the Cross 1. The Prophecy of the Cross Almost a thousand years before Jesus Christ was ever born. There is an account of the crucifixion of Jesus that sounds like an eyewitness standing at the very cross of Jesus Christ. For example, for example, the very words that Jesus Christ would say on the cross. Prophesied: Psalm 22:1 "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Fulfilled: Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani? that is, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? The exact words that are recorded in Psalm 22, came from the mouth of the Lord Jesus. Someone might say, Jesus looked back and read Psalm 22, and when He was on the cross, He was quoting poetry. Jesus was not looking backward quoting poetry. David was looking forward quoting Jesus. It was a prophecy
of what the Lord Jesus Christ would say on the cross. "My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me?" Secondly, look in verse 2, and see about the supernatural darkness that came that day when Jesus was crucified. Prophesied: Psalm 22:2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. The Bible teaches that when Jesus Christ was crucified, it was both day and night. Fulfilled: Matthew 27:45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. Jesus Christ was crucified according to the Bible at nine in the morning. He died in three, at three in the afternoon. He was on the cross six hours. Why six? Because He was dying for the sins of man, and six is the number of a man. But at noon time, at noon time, that is at the ninth hour, which was noon time, ninth hour according to how they reckoned time, not after He had been on the cross nine hours. But at midday, it became dark. The heavens were darkened at noonday. And there were three hours of darkness and three hours of light when Jesus Christ was on the cross. Prophesied: Psalm 22:7-8 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! Fulfilled: Matthew 27:39-43 39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40 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. 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 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. Incredible thing. These are not prophecies fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ; these are prophesies about the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled by His enemies, those who have the least to gain by the fulfillment of this prophecy. Prophesied: Psalm 22:14 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; This is what the Lord Jesus says of Himself there upon the cross. I am poured out like water. Well what does that mean? Well turn to John 19:34, when Jesus Christ was on that cross, they came and they broke the legs of the thieves, one on one side and one on the other to hasten death. But when they came to Jesus, He was already dead.
Fulfilled: John 19:34-37 34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. 35 He who saw it has borne witness his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth that you also may believe. 36 For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: Not one of his bones will be broken. 37 And again another Scripture says, They will look on him whom they have pierced. Psalm 22:14 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; When the Romans crucified an individual, they nailed Him first to the cross, and then they took that cross and dropped it into a hole. Josephus, the great historian, the Jewish historian, tells us that when an individual's body was nailed to a tree, nailed to a cross, was dropped into a hole, at that moment, the bones went out of joint, only to increase the pain. But what detail the Bible prophesies the Lord Jesus' crucifixion as the very sockets of His body are twisted out of joint. Prophesied: Psalm 22:15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. Potsherd is a broken clay vessel. When the potsherd is broken, then there is nothing but dried clay. The Lord Jesus was full of thirst there upon the cross. Fulfilled: John 19:28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), I thirst. That Jesus on the cross said, "I thirst," almost a thousand years before it happened, by divine inspiration the prophet wrote down that the one who would be crucified for our sins would cry out in thirst. Who crucified the Lord Jesus? Psalm 22:15-16 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 God the Father crucified Him. "You". The Gentiles crucified Him, as He speaks there of dogs. Do you know what the Jews call the Gentiles? Two-legged dogs. And the assembly of the wicked. What's He talking about there? The Jewish council. Prophesied: Psalm 22:17-18 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. Fulfilled: Matthew 27:28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,
Matthew 27:35-36 And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. There were four minor pieces of clothing that a person would wear at this time, and one major piece. And the major piece would be an undergarment woven, a seamless robe. This is the prophecy of the cross. 2. The Agony of the Cross Notice the price that Jesus Christ paid for your redemption, that you might be here today. That you might be forgiven, that you might be saved. That you might be filled with the Holy Spirit, that you might have a hope that is steadfast and sure, how you ought to praise the Lord Jesus and how you ought to serve the Lord Jesus because of the suffering that He suffered. No one ever suffered like the Lord Jesus Christ. Others were crucified but nobody ever suffered like Jesus. Jesus suffered at the hands of three. He suffered at the hands of God. He suffered at the hands of men. He suffered at the hands of Satan First of all He suffered at the hand of a Holy God. 1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? 2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. 3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. 4 In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. 5 To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. Jesus on the cross, the third person of the Trinity says, "My God," that's God the Father, "my God," that's God the Spirit, "Why hast thou forsaken me?" God the Son forsaken by God the Father and God the Spirit alone there on the cross. Why? Well the question is answered by the Scripture. Look in verse three and you'll find out why He was forsaken, "But thou art holy." When Jesus Christ went to the cross, He was the sin bearer. Him who knew no sin, God hath made to be sin for us. And my sin, your sin, their sin, our sin was placed upon the Lord Jesus Christ and the Bible says of God the Father in the book of Habakkuk that God's eyes are too pure to look upon sin. God cannot look upon sin. God turns His eyes, God turns His face, God from sin. And so the Lord Jesus Christ became the sin bearer. And when the Lord Jesus Christ became the sin bearer, He had to suffer the penalty for that sin. And a part of the penalty for your sin and my sin, if you don't get saved is to be forsaken of God Godforsaken forever in a devil's Hell. And so, Jesus on the
cross said, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" He who had been in the bosom of eternity past is now forsaken of God the Father when He's dying. When I am dying, I don't want to be God-forsaken. I don't want to be God-forsaken at any time. King David who wrote this psalm said of himself in the next psalm in Psalm 23 speaking of himself, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." But, when Jesus Christ died for you, Jesus walked that lonesome valley all by Himself. And He had to say, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Who crucified the Lord Jesus? Psalm 22:15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. God the Father crucified Him. God the Father put Him to death. You say, well I don't understand that. Well my dear friend, when Jesus Christ became the sin bearer, then Jesus Christ took the sin penalty. And the sin penalty is death. The wages of sin is death. You can read in Isaiah 53:10 concerning the Lord Jesus. Isaiah 53:10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who delivered Him? God delivered Him. Who failed to spare Him? God failed to spare Him. Who forsook Him? God forsook Him. Who delivered Him to the dust of death? God the Father, and He who had been in the bosom from eternity past now is forsaken of the Father. And hast become the object, the object of the Father's wrath and the center of the Father's loathing the Son of God. Have you ever thought about that? Have you ever thought what Jesus Christ took for you? That Jesus Christ took your Hell. Jesus took your punishment. Jesus took the wrath, the fire of God upon Himself. No wonder He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me." Let it pass from me. Who crucified the Lord Jesus? Jesus died at the hands of God. Jesus died at the hateful hand of man. Psalm 22:6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people.
I am a worm. Who is a worm? Jesus. "Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made of Himself no reputation." Have you ever gotten that low? Have you ever said to yourself, "I am a worm." A worm? A worm? A worm? He who made everything, a worm? You step on a snake, he'll strike back. You step on a worm, you've just stepped on him. Like a worm, a worm. The worm spoken of here probably was the crimson crocus, a worm, when crushed, made dye, crimson dye. The same word that is used for worm is used in Isaiah 1:18, "Yea though you come down let us reason together, saith the Lord, Though your sins be as crimson," same word that's used. They shall be as wool. Thank God His crimson blood for our crimson sin, that we might be washed whiter than snow. I am a worm. Jesus suffered at the hands of men. They stepped on Him like He was a worm. The very Son of God shed blood. The Bible tells us we better be very careful that we don't trample under feet, our, under our feet the precious blood of Jesus Christ. I don't know of a greater sin than to deal lightly with the blood of Jesus Christ. Some years ago, I heard of a father who was a businessman. At his desk, he received a phone call. They said, sir, we hate to tell you this, but there's been an accident. A young man has been hit by an automobile. We don't have all of the details, but we believe he's your son. He said, Where is he? And they gave him the street corner it was near his office. He said, I'll be right there. He ran out of his office, got in his automobile and drove to this particular place where his son, according to the report had been hit by an automobile. When he got there, he saw the crowds as they were starting to disperse. He said, "Where's the boy that was hit? Where's my son?" Someone not knowing the situation said, "Oh, you mean the boy that was killed." He said, "What?" "Oh yes, the boy who was killed." He said, "Is he dead?" He said, "Yes, he's dead." He said, "Tell me about it what happened?" He said, "Well, a car hit him." "Where'd it hit him?" "Right there." And he looked and there was a pool of blood right there in the street. A pool of blood, he knew was his son's blood. And the automobiles there on that busy street were driving right through that blood. One car after another, driving right through that pool of blood. When that father looked at it and realized that was the blood of his own dear son, he couldn't take it. And he ripped off his coat and he stood in front of it. And he said, "Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! You'll not drive through my son's blood like that. You can't do it, the blood of my son." We don't understand the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrews 10:29 "Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted
the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" Jesus, the Son of God suffered at the hands of God, at the holy hands of God. He suffered at the hateful hands of men, and He suffered at the hellish hands of Satan. Psalm 22:19-21 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! "Save me from the lion's mouth. "Who is the lion? Who is the roaring lion? It is Satan, himself who goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. All the artilleries of hell were let loose upon the Lord Jesus when He was on that cross. All of the powers of the pit were concentrated upon the Lord Jesus. Luke 22:53 When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness. What He meant was the power of Satan, the power of the enemy. And hell had a holiday, and demons taunted and tormented the Lord Jesus when He was on the cross. God forsaken, attacked by Satan, abused by men, Jesus suffered, Jesus bled, Jesus died for you at the holy hand of God, the hateful hand of man, the hellish hand of Satan. That's the agony of the cross. That's the agony of the cross. How can we set unmoved? How can we ignore such love? How can we go idly our way when Jesus Christ paid that price for us. You say, "Well did He really take my hell? He was only there for six hours on the cross." In six hours, Jesus suffered everything you'd suffer for eternity. He, being infinite, suffered in a finite period of time, what you being finite would suffer in an infinite period of time. The, the sins of the world were distilled upon Jesus, and eternities were compressed upon the Lord Jesus, and the Bible says concerning Him, there is no sorrow like my sorrow. No one ever suffered, no one ever suffered, no one ever suffered like Jesus, no one. There's the prophecy of the cross. There's the agony of the cross. But thank God for Psalm 22 that tells of: The Victory of the Cross. Now in Psalm 22:22, the tone changes. In the first 21 verses the psalm is going down, down, down, down, and then all of a sudden it begins to rise and come up because there is a resurrection. Psalm 22:22-23 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!
Jesus Christ is presented in the Bible as prophet, priest and King. And right here in these verses you are going to see Jesus Christ as prophet, priest and king. As prophet He declares the Father. Look in verse twenty-two, if you will again, He says, "I will declare thy name," God the Son is speaking to God the Father, "I will declare thy name to my brethren," He is talking about us. "In the midst of the congregation, I will praise Thee." Jesus says, "I'll praise Thee Father." "Ye that fear the Lord, praise Him;" Jesus is talking to you now. Jesus is saying "Ye that fear the Lord praise Him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify Him; and fear Him, all ye the seed of Israel." And then, He says in verse twenty-five, "My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation." What is all this talking about? The writer of the book of Hebrews knew what He was talking about. Hebrews 2:11-12 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise. Did you know that when you gathered here this morning to sing, that Jesus is out there singing. Did you know that? When I'm preaching, Jesus is preaching. When you're singing Jesus is singing. He says in the midst of the church, I will sing praises. Jesus said in Matthew 18, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Christ meets with His people. Christ sings with His people. Christ praises with His people. He is the one who declares the Father. He's the one who makes God, the Father, real. He says, "I am the way, the Truth and the Light, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." So He is the prophet. And as the prophet, He declares the Father. Jesus as a prophet declares the Father. Jesus is a priest, and as a priest He delivers the faithful. Verse 26, "The meek shall eat and be satisfied: They shall praise the Lord and seek Him: your heart shall live forever." What does the priest do? He offers the shewbread, that represents Jesus, who is the bread of life, and Jesus feeds His people. Jesus delivers His people. He is here today to give you the bread of life, this one who died for you. He is prophet. He is priest.
As prophet, He declares the Father. As priest, He delivers the faithful. Jesus as prince dominates the future. Verse 27-28 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.