Sermon Tone Analysis

Psalm 22 – STOP STARING (Gawking is not Enough)

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.

I.

The AGONY

His Affliction Brings Our Redemption and Comfort!

Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabathacthani

v. 1 – Christ being left alone, deserted, forsaken prevents YOU being left alone, deserted, forsaken!

Universal mocking – Jew and Gentile, Priests, Commoner, Soldier, Crowd and Passers by – you and I

They attacked His Faith – the most perfect man ever

3 But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel.

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.

II.

The ADORATION

God’s Holiness, the fathers’ Trust; God’s Deliverance

How we fail to ADORE God… We curse him when we are bitter, We forget him when we are busy, We consider Him when we are in church… but we often fail to ADORE Him as part of our personal and collective worship...

6 But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people.

7 All those who see Me ridicule Me; 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!”

III.

The ANTIPATHY

This word, Antipathy, comes from two words, anti meaning against and pathos meaning feeling...

He Who Knew no Sin Became Sin for Us – And look upon Him…

9 But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts.

10 I was cast upon You from birth.

From My mother’s womb You have been My God.

11 Be not far from Me, For trouble is near; For there is none to help.

IV.

The ALMIGHTY

See v. 9 – a small imprint of the father’s plan for the virgin birth

See v. 10 – cast upon the Father and His Care…Consider His Deliverance from the moment of the Decree of Divorce by Joseph to Deliverance from Herod, to the Continual Reliance on the Father’s Direction, to the multiple Deliverance from the hands of the angry leaders of the people...

See.

End of v. 10 – compare v. 1… the ragged gasps of “My God, My God…” and v. 10 “You have been My God

Here we have the stark reminder of His humanity – perhaps no man created has ever experienced such utter and complete loneliness as Christ did upon the cross

12 Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. 13 They gape at Me with their mouths, Like 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 congregation 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.

V.

The AFFLICTION

Look how He mentions His enemies, and then moves in v. 14 to His personal plight…

v. 15 – “and to dust you will return” yet living, Christ experiences the dryness, the drought of death; the loneliness and separation from all earthly AND heavenly relationships!!!

v. 18 – and now is our Savior stripped of the most basic provision – his own simple clothing –

all is removed and He who is God become man is made bare for all the world to STARE and GAWK –

My question: “Why do you only stare and gawk and Jesus, it is time to ACCEPT HIM, RECEIVE HIM and BELIEVE ON HIM!! - ONLY IN HIM WILL YOU FIND DELIVERANCE!!!”

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. 22 I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.

23 You who fear the Lord, praise Him!

All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel! 24 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.

25 My praise shall be of You in the great assembly; I will pay My vows before those who fear Him. 26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied; Those who seek Him will praise the Lord.

Let your heart live forever!

VI.

The ANNOUNCEMENT

And so in v. 24-26 we have the great, (but to the saint of the OT, hidden truth of the) a simple Hint - the PROMISE of the resurrection…

Even the greatest teacher among us now is only echo of the TRUE teacher who declares the truth and redemption of His Father

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.

VII.

The ANTICIPATION (Redemption)

V. 27 – as in acts 1:8 all the earth – the promise of God to REDEEM some from all mankind – who are we to hinder, mock or stand as obstacles to His great work of Salvation –

yet often we do – even as followers of the Savior – because we hinder others by our foolish actions, we mock the truth by living as hypocrites and we become obstacles because our own glory is of greater importance

V. 29 – “all shall bow before Him” (Phil 2:9-10)