God Touches The World Through People Who Look Like Jesus

In Contrast

English Standard Version Psalm 22

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.

We can contrast verse 24, with verse 7 and 8. Here we see the Scripture, contrasting, for us, and for us to take notice of, that in view of the unfaithfulness that there is around us, in regards to friends, who are friends to those who suffer innocently, as we saw last week - we see, that God is the friend of the innocent sufferer. “For He (God) has not despised....the affliction of the afflicted”.

When David is rescued, just as Christ was saved from the pit, and God “did not let his holy one see decay”, we also see that David, was rescued in a sovereign way, to give a testimony of the messiah, or Jesus. David is quick to say, that he will tell others, and his brothers, about what God has done.

It could be that there were his brothers, maybe too weak to face the mockers, and David then, was able to strengthen their faith.

Praise and Consecration

English Standard Version Psalm 22

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!

It is very common that in the time of our crisis and our stress that we call out to God, and tend to make promise that if he gets us out of the situation we face, that we will follow him with all our days.

From the congregation of Israel, comes, worship. It could also go to show that David’s triumph, was also a national triumph. And seeing Israel as a Theocracy, it meant that the kingdom was given victory.

Vows are made, which would insinuate that it meant to walk in the covenant demands. David here is testimony that those who seek God, will praise him. Most, maybe, praise, who knows, if it is real. Real praise is initiation and a move of God’s Spirit. The worship only belongs to God’s covenant people.

The Nations Touched

English Standard Version Psalm 22

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.

When the house of God is where it should be, the result will be that the world will be blessed. The world, how can they turn to the Lord, if, his own people have turned away from him?

The purpose of God, is that God’s own will come out on top, so that the nations will be impacted with the truth. Even the rich, Even the poor, even the rulers, and the down and outers, and the “so called” street people. Everyone, is included when God’s Spirit moves.

Not only is there the nations touched, but there is established generations that result. Think about church history, God uses faithful families, and he also makes new converts, but many times families, who have godly fathers and mothers, have their posterity following the ways of God as well, into many generations.

When God’s promise and purpose is experienced like this, when God’s people break into the fullness of his promise, it means even those yet to be born, to godly parents, you can guarantee that God will preserve his grace even in them.

If there are unmarried, you can also trust that God gives spiritual fruit and spiritual children as well. Your work as a minister of Jesus can affect the conversion, the salvation and the furthering of godly posterity.

Just as Peter said, after you have suffered a while, God will restore you and place you on a firm foundation - God will, when you look like Jesus, use you, so that others can be saved. David looked like Jesus. Our suffering causes us to look like Jesus - so suffering, as a believer, is never wasted, but of course always difficult, but with a result, if we persevere through it, a result that we cannot imagine. For us, and for others, and what God can do through the believers like David here.

God bless