Psalm 22
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Intro:
Intro:
Hi Everyone. Welcome to Church Online. As always, we appreciate you taking the time to worship with us!
Depending on when you’re watching this, Thanksgiving is just a few days away. It’s the season when we take time to remember and celebrate the things we are thankful for - like family and friends… AND FOOD.
Let’s have a little fun and participation. Of the following Thanksgiving sides, which one has to go? If you’re watching on Facebook or YouTube, use the emoji next to side to make your choice:
Wow for Stuffing/Dressing.
Sad for Mashed potatoes.
Angry for Cranberry Sauce.
Haha for Mac and Cheese.
… if you’re listening on the podcast, yell out your answer. It’s okay, people already think you’re crazy because you believe in Jesus. You randomly yelling out “Cranberry Sauce” isn’t going to change your reputation.
You know, Thanksgiving has a special place in my spiritual journey. Those of you who know my story know it was Thanksgiving Day, 2003 that my uncle invited me to church… and I actually said, “Yes.” And since that time, God has radically changed my life and I’ve passionately followed Jesus.
Thanksgiving reminds me that I have a huge reason to be thankful. Jesus has saved me. He’s rescued me. He’s forgiven me for my sin and given me eternal life. He’s given me hope, joy, and purpose. He’s done far more abundantly than all I could ask or think… and I know I’ve kinda gotten off on a tangent, but I just want to personally thank God and give Him glory!
…but I don’t want to just be thankful about this on Thanksgiving. I want to be thankful every day. In fact, I believe the Bible instructs us to live this way. The apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonians...
give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
In other words, God’s will for your life (what your life should look like) is that you would be thankful everyday. And today, in our “Finding Life in the Psalms” series, I believe we will see we have reason to be thankful - every day!
We will be exploring Psalm 22 and I believe you’ll connect with this psalm. Even though this was written thousands of years ago, it feels like someone wrote it today!
For example… how many feel like life is an emotional rollercoaster?
Your circumstances go up and down?
Your emotions are up and down?
Your faith is up and down?
Well, the psalmist felt that way too. Look at verses 1 & 2...
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
and by night, but I find no rest.
Obviously, this is the “down” part of the rollercoaster… how many have spiritually felt like this? Like, “God, where are You?!?”
A quick thought to this question… sometimes we ask this question, but we don’t want to hear answer. Many ask, “Where is God?” when bad things happen, but want nothing to do with Him any other time.
The truth is, sometimes, God isn’t present because our sins have separated us from Him. We’ve rejected and rebelled against Him. So, you can’t tell God, “Go away!” and then, when times get tough, ask, “God where are you?”
If today, you identify with this question, I think another question you must ask is, “How’s your relationships with God? Is He invited to your home for Thanksgiving Dinner?”
… that being said, that’s not the case for the psalmist. He had a relationship with God. This was a real question filled with real pain. But look what happens next...
Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
In you our fathers trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
To you they cried and were rescued;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
All of a sudden, the rollercoaster heads up! “God, my life is in the pit. Why have you forsaken me? Where are you?” But then, “You are holy and I remember that you have faithfully saved people in the past!”
Have you ever been in a crisis and then heard a story that changed your emotional direction? You were down but are now are up? That’s what happened here. And it highlights the power of our God-stories (stories of the goodness of God in our lives).
And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb
and by their testimony.
And they did not love their lives so much
that they were afraid to die.
When we remember what God has done in the past...
When we tell others what God has done in our lives...
It can change the direction of a life.
One can move from defeat into victory.
Therefore, my question for us is:
Have you shared your God-story?
Or, have you taken the time to listen to someone’s God-story?
There are people in our church who need to hear your story of God’s faithfulness. God can use it to change a life.
… however, the ride isn’t over...
But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by mankind and despised by the people.
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!”
He was up, but now he’s back down. But this time, something interesting has caused the shift of direction...
Apparently, the psalmist is now ashamed. And the shame is sourced from a specific place: the people in his life. You see, the psalmist is very public about his faith. In the past, he’s boldly declared God’s goodness! Maybe he’s shared on Instagram a verse image that read ...
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
Or he told co-workers the promise of God that says...
The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”
And yet, currently and circumstantially, neither of those things seem true. And so his community mockingly says, “Where is your good God now?” in an effort to shame him.
Have you ever experienced this? Where you’ve begun to doubt your faith, doubt God’s love, DOUBT GOD, because in the “fire” God seems absent and the people around you are quick to emphasize and remind you of that! And you feel down and ashamed of your public faith.
If you have, you’re not alone. In a moment of honesty and vulnerability, that’s what the writer is communicating.
That’s what I love about the Bible. It’s a real book about the relationship between a real God and real people. It’s not a polished book set in a fairy tale. This is real life faith! It’s messy but beautiful!
And God can handle the mess. God’s not shocked or afraid of our honesty. He actually uses it as part of His faith-building process! I mean think about it… God included this messy psalm into his eternal Word!
A psalm that shows us how to get back up when we’re down...
Yet you are he who took me from the womb;
you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts.
On you was I cast from my birth,
and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
When your down, remember what God’s done. That’s the sense here. He remembers how God has faithfully rescued and cared for him all his life. And it lifts him up… temporarily...
Verse 11...
Be not far from me,
for trouble is near,
and there is none to help.
Many bulls encompass me;
strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
they open wide their mouths at me,
like a ravening and roaring lion.
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;
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—
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.
Let me summarize simply… The psalmist says. “I am facing trouble like never before.” Again, how many of us can identify with this kind of life-rollercoaster?
God, where are you? [Down]
You have saved people in the past. Will you save me? [Up]
God, everyone hates me! Do you hate me too? [Down]
That doesn’t make sense, because you have been with me all my life… helping me. [Up]
But now I am facing trouble like never before. I’m suffering! [Down]
… and there’s one further shift on this ride...
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!
Lord, you have saved others. You have saved me before. I need you to save me again! Verse 21 continues this thought...
“Save me from the mouth of the lion!” - Save me from this life threatening situation! And we need to stop here...
…In this moment, a miracle happens. It’s hard to see in English, but in the original language (in the Hebrew) it’s clear. He goes onto write...
Save me from the mouth of the lion!
You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!
The first part of verse 21 is written in the imperative, like, “God, I need you to save me!” But the second part is written the perfect - like it happened… Like in a moment’s time, God finally saved him! “You HAVE [past-tense] rescued me!”
And here’s the main point from these verse… Remember that...
1) When you’re down, God’s not done!
1) When you’re down, God’s not done!
This life may be a rollercoaster, but with God, you will always finish on the up! Why? Because God is our Savior. That’s who He is.
That’s who He’s been to others.
That’s who He’s been to us.
And, that’s who He will continue to be!
We can trust God to save us! And it can happen at any moment, even when we’ve lost hope and feel too far gone. Say, “God’s ways are perfect.” Say, “God’s timing is not my timing.”
Another reason we can trust Him to save - is not just because He is a Savior and has saved in the past - but also...
2) Our salvation isn’t a surprise to God!
2) Our salvation isn’t a surprise to God!
God knows we need saving. The fact that we need His help doesn’t disappoint or shock him!
For he knows how weak we are;
he remembers we are only dust.
And when He steps in to rescue us, it’s not spontaneous either… it’s strategic. It’s been planned from eternity past. And I can prove it from the Scriptures.
The ultimate and final rescue of every human is salvation found in Jesus Christ. Like, nothing else is really needed. When Christ’s perfect work on the Cross is applied our souls, it is finished! We are given eternal life and a future hope, regardless of our current circumstances.
And when Jesus came to earth to save us, it wasn’t a surprise. It wasn’t spontaneous. God, didn’t see the world filled with sin and think, “Oh snap Jesus, we better do something! Go down there and save them before this gets out of control!”
No, the Bible tells us that Jesus is “the lamb who was slaughtered before the world was made.” As crazy as it sounds, before time began, God had a plan to save the world. And this psalm is proof of that!
Psalm 22 was written hundreds of years before the Incarnation - when Jesus came to the earth - what Christmas is all about. And yet, as we have read this psalm, some of the verses may have feel familiar. That’s because Psalm 22 is often quoted when describing Jesus’s death! If you’ve read or heard the gospels, you’ve likely heard Psalm 22!
When Jesus was on the cross, the gospel of Mark says...
And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!” So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself.
Psalm 22 says...
“He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;
let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”
The apostle John ‘s gospel says, speaking of Jesus’s clothes as they put Him on the cross...
so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says,
“They divided my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.”
So the soldiers did these things,
Where was that Scripture found? Psalm 22:18!
Matthew writes in his gospel that as Jesus, on the cross, yelled out...
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?”
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
And here’s the coolest one… at least for me… on the Cross, they pierced Jesus’s hands and feet.
For dogs encompass me;
a company of evildoers encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet—
Did you know that when Psalm 22 was written, the method of crucifixion hadn’t even been invented yet!
What does this tell us? It tells us that OUR SALVATION WAS NOT A SURPRISE TO GOD. Every detail is planned by God.
That was true for the psalmist.
It’s true Jesus on the cross.
And it’s true about our lives today!
In fact, you’re hearing this message on salvation today because God knows you need it. It’s part of His plan to save you. To point you to Jesus Christ. He wants to build your faith - to give you confidence in the Savior. So that as you are on this rollercoaster of life and you go down, you know how to get back up! Just as the psalmist trusted in God to save him [to move him upwards], so we can ALWAYS TRUST IN JESUS TO SAVE US [to move us upward]!
And when the Savior becomes a regular part of our life-story, it builds our confidence in Him [our faith in Him], but it also becomes contagious!
And that’s by design… God wants our...
3) Confidence in the Savior [needs] to be contagious!
3) Confidence in the Savior [needs] to be contagious!
The psalmist’s confidence was! When God saved Him once again… He told that God-story! His confidence spread to others.
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!
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.
From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will perform before those who fear him.
The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the Lord!
May your hearts live forever!
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.
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.
Posterity shall serve him;
it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;
they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,
that he has done it.
Response:
Response:
And so, as we close, let’s think about...
How we can respond to God’s Word.
How we can find life through this psalm?
How our confidence in Jesus can be contagious?
I believe one thing we can do [respond] is remember that we have a Great Savior - and His name is Jesus. When we’re down, remember God’s not done. The Savior will always bring us back up. We can be confident in that fact because our salvation isn’t a surprise to Him. He’s got a plan!
And don’t forget, that plan might involve our God-stories!
So be ready to tell your story and listen to others.
Maybe this Thanksgiving, tell your story around the table or ask another believe to tell theirs.
Another suggestion is to be thankful. You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Have an attitude of gratitude.” I know that’s kinda annoying. But this Thanksgiving, one we can find LIFE is to be thankful. There’s actually science behind this response.
There’s this thing called Neuroplasticity. Put simply, it means, “The more you think about something, the easier it becomes to think about it.” When you think about something, a little groove forms in your brain. A pathway is made to that thought. And the more you think about it, the deeper the groove gets... and the more you think about it... and the more it impacts how you live. In a way, it’s scientifically proven that if you have an “attitude of gratitude,” you’ll become a more thankful person. Thankfulness can change your life!
Here’s the thing: This isn’t just a mental trick to get your brain to believe something that’s not true. BECAUSE OF JESUS, WE HAVE A REASON TO BE THANKFUL!
We just spent 27 mins talking about it. He is our Great Savior! In a moment, Jesus can change everything, regardless of our current circumstances or feelings. Because in Christ, IT’S NOT ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE FEELING, IT’S ABOUT WHAT GOD HAS FINISHED!
And on the Cross, Jesus completely saved us. That’s why He declared, “It is finished.” (Jn 19:30)
But maybe you’re listening and can identify with this rollercoaster of life, but haven’t put your faith in Jesus as Savior.
You don’t have that confident hope that everything will be okay.
You don’t have a reason to be thankful.
But you’re ready for that to change.
If you’re ready for God to save you, He’s ready to do that today. Again… this moment is a surprise to Him… it’s BEEN part of His strategy to save you.
You’ve been on His heart before you were born. He loves you. And maybe like me, He wants the Thanksgiving season to be part of your God-story. If you’d like to receive Jesus as your Savior today, pray with me [actually, let’s all pray together]...
Jesus - You’re the reason for the season. I know it’s not Christmas yet, but you’re the reason we can be thankful this Thanksgiving. And right now, we ask that you’d be our Lord and Savior. Helps us. Heal us. We’re broken and in need of rescue. Forgive us for our sins. Today we put our faith in You. We know our current situation is not a surprise to You. You saw it before the world began and You’re ready to save. Therefore, we put our hope in You and we thank You in advance - with confidence - knowing You’re our Savior. And finally, give us the courage to share our story of Your salvation. In Jesus name, amen.
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