From Suffering to Salvation

Introduction

With Holy Week upon us, it is important for us to begin to get our mind and heart in the correct mindset. We must remember what our Savior did for us and how His sacrifice 2000 years ago still impacts people in 2021 and will continue to impact people for all eternity! Why does the Death of Jesus matter so much? Or, does the death and resurrection of Jesus matter at all? Many non-Christians think that Jesus died because He was a revolutionary for His day and was killed because the people in Jerusalem weren’t ready for the change He was bringing to the world. There is some truth in this. We know that Jesus was killed by the Romans and Jews because of what He taught - Peter shares as much in Acts 2 as he reminds the Jews that they are responsible for killing Christ. But is there more to the death of Jesus Christ? Absolutely! We know that while He was crucified by the Romans and Jews, ultimately He gave His life in our place as Isaiah prophesied about hundreds and hundreds of years before His death.

We know that the death of Jesus is important to our faith and it is a hill worth dying on, but the death of Jesus doesn’t help us if it weren’t for the resurrection as Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 15. The resurrection is what our faith hinges on - if Jesus didn’t raise then our faith is in vain, but if He did, as the Bible proclaims, then everything changes!

We read about the resurrection in the Gospel accounts and Paul references the resurrection often in His letters throughout the New Testament - however, is the resurrection only talked about in the New Testament? No. We read about it in the Old Testament as we see that the Messiah would come, die, and raise from the dead to secure our salvation. We read about this in the suffering servant passage in Isaiah 52-53 as many of us are familiar with, but we also see in the Psalms several prayers and laments that foreshadow Jesus’ suffering and resurrection.

Psalm 22 is one such text as we see David cry out to the Lord in a lament Psalm. A lament Psalm is whenever the Psalmist brings a need before God and asks Him to resolve it and be glorified in doing so. The lament Psalms are wonderful to read and pray whenever we are experiencing difficulty and suffering. Jesus quotes some of this Psalm during the crucifixion narrative in the Gospel accounts and this Psalm helps to paint a picture of the suffering He experienced as well as the salvation as a result of His sacrifice.

Psalm 22 CSB

For the choir director: according to “The Deer of the Dawn.” A psalm of David. 1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far from my deliverance and from my words of groaning? 2 My God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, by night, yet I have no rest. 3 But you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. 4 Our ancestors trusted in you; they trusted, and you rescued them. 5 They cried to you and were set free; they trusted in you and were not disgraced. 6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by people. 7 Everyone who sees me mocks me; they sneer and shake their heads: 8 “He relies on the Lord; let him save him; let the Lord rescue him, since he takes pleasure in him.” 9 It was you who brought me out of the womb, making me secure at my mother’s breast. 10 I was given over to you at birth; you have been my God from my mother’s womb. 11 Don’t be far from me, because distress is near and there’s no one to help. 12 Many bulls surround me; strong ones of Bashan encircle me. 13 They open their mouths against me— lions, mauling and roaring. 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are disjointed; my heart is like wax, melting within me. 15 My strength is dried up like baked clay; my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You put me into the dust of death. 16 For dogs have surrounded me; a gang of evildoers has closed in on me; they pierced my hands and my feet. 17 I can count all my bones; people look and stare at me. 18 They divided my garments among themselves, and they cast lots for my clothing. 19 But you, Lord, don’t be far away. My strength, come quickly to help me. 20 Rescue my life from the sword, my only life from the power of these dogs. 21 Save me from the lion’s mouth, from the horns of wild oxen. You answered me! 22 I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters; I will praise you in the assembly. 23 You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! All you descendants of Israel, revere him! 24 For he has not despised or abhorred the torment of the oppressed. He did not hide his face from him but listened when he cried to him for help. 25 I will give praise in the great assembly because of you; I will fulfill my vows before those who fear you. 26 The humble will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise him. May your hearts live forever! 27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord. All the families of the nations will bow down before you, 28 for kingship belongs to the Lord; he rules the nations. 29 All who prosper on earth will eat and bow down; all those who go down to the dust will kneel before him— even the one who cannot preserve his life. 30 Their descendants will serve him; the next generation will be told about the Lord. 31 They will come and declare his righteousness; to a people yet to be born they will declare what he has done.

The Cry for Help (1-5)

In the beginning of our text we see a familiar verse - My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Jesus echoes these same words in the Gospels as He says this

Matthew 27:46 CSB

46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Elí, Elí, lemá sabachtháni?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

Why does David start by saying this? He is experiencing loneliness, pain, and suffering to the point that he feels abandoned by God - notice, He is not abandoned by God, but because he is still struggling, He cries out for help.

One of the reasons that the lament Psalms have been popular throughout the church is because they discuss feelings and emotions that we all experience. We’ve all been in situations where we are suffering and we feel as though the end is not in sight. During COVID-19, many Christians felt this way. God, why have you abandoned us? It’s not a sin to feel this way. In fact, one of the things that we are supposed to do is communicate and come before our God and lay it all down. This requires us to be open and sometimes in difficult moments, our openness is that we feel abandoned.

Think of a moment in your life whenever you felt abandoned due to suffering or persecution. You feel hopeless! In such moments, what do you do? You can either stop trusting in Him and take matters into your own hands or you can continue to wait on His timing. The Psalmist says that he cries to God day and night but has no answer and doesn’t experience rest. What a terrible situation to be in! Seriously, have you been in this spot? It’s not fun. Why do we continue to trust in God during these moments? Because of what follows!

God is holy. He has a proven track record! He is loyal to His people and saved them. We read about this throughout the Bible how God delivered the Israelites from Egypt and brought them out of exile and built them into a mighty nation! If God is so faithful, though, why is He now silent? This is the struggle we experience today and it’s the same one David experienced thousands of years before. What is the answer? How are we to respond in such moments? We have to remember that we belong to God and that He has a plan for our lives. As we remember God’s plan, even in times of difficulty, we patiently wait on His direction. Even in suffering, we can have confidence that He has not permanently abandoned us - He might be silent, but He’s not finished with us. Therefore, we trust in Him. We cry for help with confidence as we know that He hears us and we trust that He will deliver us.

The Providence of God (6-11)

As David waits God’s reply, he is opposed by others and feels awful about his condition. There are times in life where we are mocked and ridiculed by others while we might not fear our very lives, we do experience people mocking us for our faith from time to time. Sadly, there are some people who are mocked and lose their lives.

300 Illustrations for Preachers Beheaded for Converting to Christianity

Mansuur Mohammed, a Somali aid worker, received Jesus Christ as his savior in 2006. Militants from the al Shabab group captured him in 2008 and paraded him before villagers in Manyafulka, who had gathered at the insistence of the militant group. The militant leaders began to recite from the Quran, accusing Mohammed of apostasy. A witness said Mohammed remained composed, never uttering a word, as his captors yelled “Allahu akbar” (“God is great”) and then beheaded him. Some say the video of his death is being circulated in an attempt to prevent Muslims from converting to Christianity.

David feels abandoned by God and is being mocked by others for his faith in God. This is not a good situation to be in and a natural question arises: Why did David remain steadfast in his faith? We see why in verses 9 and 10. We believe that God is the giver of life! We see this in Psalm 139

Psalm 139:13 CSB

13 For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

We were formed and created by God and this gives us confidence that God has a plan for us. Even in difficult times, we can take heart because we know that we belong to Him. David knows this. He knows that God has provided for him in the past. He knows that God is in control. Yet, he still feels distant. In difficult times, this can be our reality. We feel removed and distant from our Savior and this can lead to all sorts of problems.

The Prayer for Deliverance (12-21)

After looking at the providence of God and how God had provided in the past and given in life in the first place, the Psalmist talks about his enemies. He compares them to bulls, lions, and dogs. He says in verse 6 that he is a worm and he is up against these mighty foes. The picture painted to us in verses 14-15 is one of terror. Things are not going well for David and he continues to cry out for deliverance as verses 20-21 share.

There are times in life where we think that we can do things on our own strength. Situations where we are about to do something that we’ve done a thousand times. In those moments, it can be easy to rely on our ability rather than relying on God’s power. Shame on us for doing this! David says that the Lord is his strength and his only hope! We know that this is true as Christians. We know that we cannot save ourselves regardless of the things that we do or the nice things that we say. Our hope comes from the Lord. He is our life and salvation. We look to Him in the difficult times, yes, but we also look to Him in the good times.

Consider, whenever the odds are stacked up against you, it can be easy to look to God because we physically don’t have another way out. However, in the mundane activities and actions, what do you do? Do you continue to trust in the Lord and rely on His power or do you trust in yourself? David’s reminder is that God is the only one who can truly deliver us.

Looking ahead to Jesus and what He did for us on the cross, we are reminded that Jesus is the only one who can deliver us from our sins. This is our prayer each and every day - that the Lord would deliver us from our opposition, yes, but also from our sin. While it can be easy to lose focus or trust in ourselves, the conclusion of our text puts the focus on God.

The Praise of God (22-31)

In lament Psalms, the Psalmist often concludes with praising God and having confidence in His plan. This is what the Psalmist does in these last few verses as he says that he will proclaim the name of God to others and praise Him. It can be hard to stand up for what is right whenever we stand on our own and this is the situation facing David. He feels alone and distant, yet he knows beyond the shadow of a doubt that God saves and that He and He alone can satisfy

Psalm 22:26 CSB

26 The humble will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise him. May your hearts live forever!

Not only will this include Israel, but verse 27 says that all the families of the nations will bow down and worship Him because God rules all the nations. Salvation isn’t meant to just be for one nation, even though the Israelites were God’s chosen nation in the Old Testament, God’s plan was always for the nations as we see in Old and New Testaments. The greatest example of this is with Jesus and this psalm is one that many Christians have attributed to Him. Christ had moments where he was attacked by others and there was a moment in which Jesus felt forsaken by the Father. Jesus was persecuted. Yet, His suffering was not in vain or meaningless. It was purposeful. We see this in Galatians 3

Galatians 3:13 CSB

13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written, Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.

Jesus suffered in our place in order to redeem us from the punishment of our sins. In Psalm 22, the Psalmist praises God because God rescues him and provides satisfaction and salvation. In the Gospels we find that Jesus dies, yes, but He is raised from the dead. While David was lamenting due to his own suffering, we know that Jesus suffered not for his own sin but for our sin. As the song Victory in Jesus says, “victory in Jesus, My Savior, forever. He sought me and bought me With His redeeming blood”

We have the hope of salvation because of Christ. Because of this, we praise Him for who He is, what He has done, and what He continues to do today.

Conclusion

In times of suffering it can be difficult to keep our eyes fixed on the big picture. Even in times of crisis, we can praise God because we know that He is holy and that He has a plan for our lives!

Not only does God have a plan, though, He provides for us in the good and the bad. As one pastor put it, “You may explain to a child all the medical reasons why he must have a shot in the arm, but when the nurse gets ready to plunge that needle into his arm, he runs to mom. Comfort comes not in always knowing the reason why, but in knowing the comforter.”

We know the comforter. We know the giver of life and we know the Creator. Because we know Him, even in difficult times, we can have peace and comfort. Even in times of abandonment, we can take heart in knowing that our God is with us even through the fire. He will never leave nor forsake us!

As we look ahead to Resurrection Sunday, let us remember the suffering experienced by our Savior. Let us never forget what Christ did for us and how He won for us the victory that we could never deserve or earn on our own. Let us share this victory with others, even in difficult times where we face opposition and ridicule because Christ is worth it.