Psalms 22
Text: Psalms 22
I. Life can get very difficult at times and we can easily get overwhelmed by the struggle. What do we do?
II. Why doesn’t God do something? - Psalms 22:1-5
A. We not only want a solution, we also have a time in mind that we want it solved by.
B. It might appear to us that God has forgotten about us and left us to our problems.
1. Jesus quote the first line of this psalm as he was dying on the cross - Matthew 27:46
2. In truth, this psalm is really about Jesus’ death
C. But the psalmist notes that God is Holy. He always does what is right.
1. Jesus knew that God was with him - John 8:28-29
2. God stated that He takes care of the well-being of His people - Isaiah 48:12-19
D. History also shows that God was there to deliver.
E. Still, it doesn’t make the trial any less severe. And for Jesus, both he and the Father knew that it was necessary, not only for him to suffer but to die in order that mankind might be saved. But it didn’t make the suffering and humiliation less painful.
III. Why must people make it worse? - Psalms 22:6-10
A. There is a tendency for people to kick the guy who is down
B. As Jesus suffered on the cross, people mocked him - Matthew 26:66-68; 27:39-40
C. But again the psalmist notes
1. God brought us into this world, so therefore He cares
2. God taught us to trust others, even from our infancy
3. Even when everyone else fails us, God is still our source of comfort
D. Jesus was the creator of the universe, but at this moment in time, he felt less than a man – a mere worm to be despised by others
IV. Encompassed by your enemies - Psalms 22:11-21
A. When it comes time to leave this earth, I think most want their family and friends at their side
B. But at Jesus’ death, he was surrounded by those who hated his very existence
1. The psalmist describes them as bulls, lions, and wild dogs
C. Yet when all others have abandoned us, God is there at our side, to save our life and to carry us home
D. But the fear is still there and the feeling of weakness and the inability to defend yourself
V. What can you do? Praise God! - Psalms 22:22-26
A. The answer contradicts every feeling that you possess at the time
1. It is looking at the outcome, instead of the momentary heartache - James 1:2-4
B. This passage is quoted in Hebrews 2:10-15.
1. Through Jesus’ death, God freed His children
2. But such a result could not be obtained until suffering was endured
C. It is only afterward, when the results are obtained that we can realize that God never did abandoned us - Psalms 22:24
D. Ultimately, the praise comes from God. That praise spreads from the one who suffered to all who benefitted.
VI. And the result? All will remember - Psalms 22:27-31
A. The impact of what Jesus did reached to the remotest places on earth.
1. Families in all nations worship the God who controls the nations.
2. The prosperous worship and the lowest of low bow before God
3. All of mankind who cannot save himself from death
B. The succeeding generations will pass on the remembrance of his deed - I Corinthians 11:26
VII. Nearly a thousand years before Jesus came to earth, David wrote this psalm
A. It records accurately Jesus being left to die a humiliating death.
1. It describes crucifixion before crucifixion was developed
2. It evens records what people said at the cross and the dividing of his clothing by lot
3. And even now, three thousand years later, it speaks of us remembering the impact that the death of this one man had upon the entire world.
B. More, it tells us of the suffering and the utter dependence on God who delivers.
1. It gives us insight into the feelings of Jesus who both suffered and triumphed
C. And it lays out the same path that we can take through the hardships of life because we serve the same God.
