From Suffering To Praise by looking to Christ.

Jesse Cook

Summer In The Psalms • Sermon • Submitted 6 months ago • Presented 6 months ago

Psalm 22

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Introduction:

As we continue with our Worship of the Lord this morning and continue with our sermon series “Summer in the Psalms” I want to invite you to turn with me to Psalm 22.

We have a lot of ground to cover this morning with our text for today. It is a longer text so stay with me while I read this. And remember, this is not some ideas of man, this text is the very inspired Word of God. The God who created you inspired this text.

And as we are studying the Pslams, remember the goal. We are seeking the face of God for our lives. that is why we study the Bible, but we are studying the Psalms because we know that we do not always know how to handle life. There are so many ups and downs that we easily lose sight of what God wants us to do....and the Psalms help us in that regard. They give us words and perspectives to see the world rightly. No matter what the world may tell us.... or our own thoughts and feelings for that matter… God’s word directs us. And we are going to see that on full display here as we read this Psalm together.

Hear the Word of the Lord this morning... To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David. 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!

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 (Ps 22:1-31).

What an awesome Psalm this morning. Certainly, we don’t have time to walk through every part of this Psalm and unpack the depths that are here, but here is what I want us to see this morning as we even prepare our hearts to take communion at the end of this service....

Main Point: In the Middle of our Suffering, we are to turn to God and seek His deliverance by looking to Christ as the ultimate example.

Body: For us as Christians, who are standing on the opposite of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, I believe that this is the main thrust of what is being said here. However, I would even dare to say though..... We have to be able to look at this Psalm and ask, “how does this Psalm transform or tune my heart to God’s?” “What am I to learn from this passage of Scripture?

Let me ask you, have you ever felt like you had been abandoned by God? Have you ever been going through something so horrendous that you began to wonder if God even cared about your situation or circumstances? Like, where in the world are you GOD?!! I’ve been crying out day after day, night after night, .... for years now…..and I am not seeing any relief. WHERE ARE YOU?!!! PLEASE COME AND SAVE ME!!! You guys ever been there? It’s ok to say that you have been there. It is ok to be honest. You don’t have to fake it! There are times in your life where you may, and I would probably say are, going to experience a time like this.

David, the one who wrote this Psalm, had times in his life that were like this. I mean, the guy spent the early part of his life being on the run from Saul, the King who wanted to kill Him. He spent one part of his life running from his Son who wanted to Kill him. You want to talk about a low point, that would be a really low point in one's life.

Here you have David, crying out to God in the midst of anguish and wondering what in the world is going on. Look at verses 1-2 with me.

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 (Ps 22:1–2).

He has been crying out, but he has not received any deliverance. He feels foraken God, like God has turned His back on Him and now David is left all alone.

Yet, unlike many of us, David turns his attention to God.

Look at v. 3-5 with me.

He acknowledges who God is. God is the Holy one! God is the one who never does wrong. God is the one who does not have sin and is in fact not able to SIN. And he starts thinking through all of the ways that God has been good to the people of Israel. He remembers how the people have cried out in the past, and you know what, at that time God was not silent from them. Instead, God brought about the deliverance to them. He doesn’t give the exact biblical stories that he is think of, but it isn’t hard to imagine what might have been in his mind. Think with me for a moment, when in the past have the people of God cried out and God brought about deliverance for them? (The Exodus account, taking the promised land, the time of the Judges, etc.). David is painting this picture of God’s faithfulness and is trying to make sense of his current situation. These people cried out and You listened to them, but (look at verses 6-8 with me)

David is the opposite of the people of Israel. He is treated as a worm, which means that he is treated as if he is inhuman. He is about worthless as a worm. I don’t know about any of you, but I do not think often of worms when I am walking. The only time I think about worms is if I am going to go fishing. Worms really serve no purpose in our everyday lives. That is how David is being treated. People see him and just want to mock him and make fun of him. They walk around just poking fun of him.

You guys know what it is like to be picked on by a bully? Those people who just walk around the lunch room looking for someone to pick on, and they have found you…that is the picture that comes to my mind. But, I want you to notice what they make fun of him for … “He relies on the Lord; let him save him; let the Lord Rescue him, since he takes pleasure in him.” They are making fun of his faith and trust in God.

But look….I want you to keep this text before you…you have to see what is going on here, look down at verses 9-11,

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. (Ps 22:9–11).

David again turns his eyes back to God and acknowledges who God is. God is the one who gave him life. God is the one who made him. God is the One, and because God is the one David cries again to God for his help because David feels as if he has no one at all to help him. He has no one else he can turn to. Suffering can feel like that at times can’t it? God turn to me there is no one else.

And then in verses 12-18 David gives this depiction of the suffering that he is wanting to be saved from. He describes this is horrific details. He uses language, that when we read it sounds strangely familiar and we will see why in a moment, but for now lets says David describes his own suffering in terms of people killing him.

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. (Ps 22:12–18). These people are hunting him down and want him dead. They count him good as dead as they divide up his clothes. In the midst of being tormented, David again cries out to God for Him to deliver him.

Do you see what is going on in this Psalm? In the middle of suffering, who should you be crying out to? GOD! He is the one that you are to run to.

Here is where the Psalm takes a turn, look down at verses 22-31 with me.

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 (Ps 22:22–31).

God hears David’s prayer, answers Him, and saves Him. And because God delivers David, David is going to spend the rest of his life praising God and telling other people what God has done. In this section, we see this universal praise to God. All Peoples from EVERYWHERE are to be praising God for what God has accomplished. David calls all people to join in in telling others what God has done, even to the ones who have not even being born yet, to spread the news to the next generation and talk about God’s faithfulness.

Isn’t that amazing? Isn’t that awesome? David goes from Suffering to Praise. That is such good news. But, to be honest it is a little hard to bridge that Gap isn’t it?

How does one go from Suffering to Praise?

Remember the main point from earlier? Main Point: In the Middle of our Suffering, we are to turn to God and seek His deliverance by looking to Christ as the ultimate example.

Here is where the Psalm gets really interesting. I said that we are to look to Christ, but here we are in the Old Testament. I want to point something out to you…. what was figurative for David was a reality for Jesus Christ. I want you to hear this in light of this Psalm. Listen to how the crucifixion of Jesus Christ is described in the New Testament.

26 Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him.28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 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!"30 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head.31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him. 32 As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross.33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull),34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. 36 Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews." 38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left.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. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, 'I am the Son of God.'"44 And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way. 45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.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?" (Mat 27:26-46 ESV)

Did you see that? Did you see the connections there with the Psalm? Jesus even quotes the first line of the Psalm to call attention back to it. Jesus experienced this Psalm like no other. He was the one who was treated as non-human. He was the one who was rejected by his people. Jesus literally had his hands and feet pierced. Jesus literally faced this ridicule and scorn from sinful men. And Yet, Jesus was the one who was also delivered by God when He came up out of the grave, for the Bible says that God did not abandon His Holy One, or Let Him see decay. Yes Jesus died a horrific death, but JESUS ROSE AGAIN AND NOW REIGNS victorious!

The writer of Hebrews put it this way for us. “9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,12 saying, "I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise” (Heb 2:9-12 ESV)

That is what Jesus has accomplished for us! He has made a way for us to be forgiven. We are able to be made free. We are able to become brothers of the King! That is the greatest deliverance of ALL!!!

Conclusion: Yet, we need to ask ourselves how then does Psalm 22 apply to us today? Or, does this Psalm even apply to us outside of it pointing to Jesus as its fulfillment?

I don’t think that it is correct to let it only apply to Jesus as its fulfillment. I do believe that this Psalm has something to teach us in the way that we are to handle our own suffering, even when we feel abandoned by God. For Romans 15:4 says, “4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Rom 15:4 ESV)” Psalm 22 was written down for our instruction and to give us encouragement so that we would have Hope.,

So, how does it apply to us? What are we to do with this Psalm especially when so much of it is directly tied to Jesus’ death?

I think there are a number of points that we can take away from here that give us some general direction.

We Acknowledge Our Suffering To God. This is something that we do not need to try to hide from Him. He knows what we are going through. He knows our pain. He knows our thoughts and feelings better than we do. It would be insane for us to try to hide it from Him. When we are suffering, we can be real with God. We can acknowledge how we feel to Him. Do you feel forsaken? Like, does He even care? Tell Him that. It is ok. I Promise his shoulders are big enough to handle it.

List God’s Past Faithfulness. Allow the things that God has done in your personal life to give you hope. Allow the texts of Scripture to give you hope. Just start recounting all of the things that God has done for you and the people of God. See His faithfulness because in times of suffering and sorrow, we tend to lose sight of Him. We can feel completely and totally hopeless and helpless. We can start to wonder if He is there, if He cares.... if He sees us.... or maybe He has forgotten about us. Our thoughts and feels start to take over, and we start to listen to the lies of the enemy.... that is when we have to start preaching truth to ourselves. We have to go back and see His goodness and Grace.

Turn To God In The Middle of Your Suffering. Don’t lose hope… even if other people think that you are out of your mind....even if people start mocking you for your faith in God. That is not a reason to give up hope. Continue to cling to God in the midst of your pain and suffering.

And I know what you are thinking.... like that sounds good and all…but how in the world do we exactly do those things? I think that this is where the book of Hebrews is so helpful for us again. Listen to these words from Hebrews 12:1-3... Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. (Heb 12:1-3)

When we are going through our own Suffering, when we are facing our own battles, when we feel like there is no one we can turn to, we need to turn our eyes onto Christ. We need to look unto Him. He is our ultimate example of one who endured Suffering for US. We need to keep our eyes on Him and think about what he went through, so that we don’t grow weary or fainthearted! That is how we get through our suffering. It is not by grit and might… it is by fixing our eyes on Christ.

In the Middle of our Suffering, we are to turn to God and seek His deliverance by looking to Christ as the ultimate example.

As we set our eyes on Him, we wait for HIS deliverance and one day it will come. Indeed, the greatest deliverance has already come, and that is deliverance from our sin in Christ.

But notice that God doesn’t keep you always from suffering, but He does keep you in the middle of the Suffering, and He will bring you through.

And the joy that we get as believers is to go and tell the coming generations about what Christ has done. In a world that is so broken with sin and is in so much suffering… they need the Good News of the Gospel. And this is the story that we get to share with them. There is one who went through suffering, who was rejected by others, who bore the wrath of God for our sins and has made a way for us to be welcomed back to God by His death, burial, and resurrection. It is through Him we find life. It is through Him we find peace.

We will not be exempt from suffering.... but we are given a relationship with the One who will get us through.

In the Middle of our Suffering, we are to turn to God and seek His deliverance by looking to Christ as the ultimate example.

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