So Psalm 22, perhaps, is being preached this Sunday because of this being Resurrection Day as well. For those of us who are on a certain reading schedule, Psalm 22 is in the heart of this week, so it comes to your mind as well. But Psalm 22 is often called the Psalm of the Cross. There's no better description of the crucifixion of Christ, certainly in the Old Testament, than there is in Psalm 22. Psalm 22, and you do see an outline in the front cover of your bulletin, you also see a bunch of notes in Psalm 22. Don't read that now because you won't listen to me. But in Psalm 22, first of all, externally within the Psalter itself, it's part of three shepherd psalms. Psalm 22, Psalm 23, and Psalm 24. And perhaps Psalm 23 is more famous than most any psalm. But Psalms 22, 23, and 24 are considered shepherd psalms that match up with the way that Scripture actually portrays Christ as shepherd. He's portrayed as the good shepherd, the great shepherd, and the chief shepherd. He's portrayed as the good shepherd who gives his life for the redemption of his own sheep. And if we had some time, we could look at John 10 and see Christ saying, I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives his life for his sheep. I'm the good shepherd, and I know my sheep, and am known by my own as my Father knows me. Even so, I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep. So Christ is the good shepherd who gives his life for the redemption of his own sheep, the dying shepherd. Christ is also the great shepherd who rose and now lives forever to direct his sheep in life and good works. We close our service almost every Sunday with Hebrews 13, verses 20-21, Now may God, the God of peace, who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, the Great Shepherd, the Great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is pleasing in His sight. And so Christ is not just the Good Shepherd who died for His sheep, but He's the Great Shepherd who now lives to direct his sheep in life and good works. And thirdly, we see Christ is the chief shepherd in 1 Peter 5. He's the chief shepherd who ascended. He rose and he ascended to the throne and he will return to reward his faithful sheep. 1 Peter 5, and in Peter's directions to local shepherds, local pastors, he says, "...shepherd the flock of God," speaking to pastors, "...which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion, but willingly, not for dishonest gain, but eagerly, nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock." And in verse 4 of 1 Peter 5, "...and when the chief shepherd appears," speaking of Christ, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. So Christ is the Good Shepherd who gives His life for His sheep. He's the Great Shepherd who's risen and He directs them in life and good works. And He's the Chief Shepherd who's ascended and He will return to reward His people. And so we've seen Psalm 22 and Psalm 23 and Psalm 24 mimicking that same progression of those labels of Christ. Psalm 22 is a song of the dying shepherd, and we'll look at that today. Crying out to the Father from the cross, yet looking to the triumph that will come as a result of it. That's what we'll look at today. Psalm 23, which is next, is a song of the risen shepherd who guides and provides for his sheep. Psalm 24 is the song of the ascended shepherd who will reward his faithful sheep. Maybe for our calls to worship the next two Sundays, we can look at Psalm 23 and Psalm 24. We will get back to Matthew 18 next week. That's the plan. So externally, that's where Psalm 22 lands in the Psalter. But then internally, Psalm 22 is really two distinct sections. It's pretty easy to define the division of Psalm 22. Verses 1-21, would be a prayer of alienation of the Son, alienated from the Father, from the cross, followed by a vivid picture of the crucifixion of the Son. So you have a prayer of Christ from the cross, and his alienation from his Father. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? It comes right off the bat in Psalm 22. But then it's followed by a picture, a very vivid picture of the crucifixion of the Son, many, many years before the crucifixion occurred. And then in v. 22-31, the second section of this psalm is an anticipation of the glorious triumph of the cross. After the first half, v. 1-21, then the rest of it is an anticipation, an excited, joyous anticipation of the triumph of the cross, the expansion of the church and the gospel to all peoples until Christ comes. And so then as a whole, Psalm 22 is called the Psalm of the Cross. The first section being a description of Christ's crucifixion. The second section looking ahead to the triumph of the cross in Christ's people and his kingdom. And so we will label the first half, verses 1 through 21, as the suffering of the cross. We'll label the second half, verses 22 through 31, as the triumph of the cross. And you can see an outline inside your bulletin with a little more detail that we'll be following as we look at this. So first of all, if I haven't bored you already with the roadmap beforehand, verses 1 through 21, the first half of the psalm of the cross, the suffering of the cross. As we said before, verses 1 through 21 is perhaps the best description of Christ's crucifixion in all of Scripture, even though crucifixion was not practiced until many centuries after David wrote this psalm. So clearly this is a prophetic psalm, and it's a messianic psalm, and it almost makes you shudder. There's a part of the Psalter that we sing sometimes that it almost feels like you shouldn't sing it, because you're singing what Christ is experiencing on the cross. It's a rendering of verses 11 through 21 that's rather stunning, but there's a sense where Psalm 22 is Christ's meditation on the cross, and he's seeing his crucifixion as being a fulfillment of the very psalm he's meditating on, which is an amazing thing. And within this section of the suffering of the cross, we have the prayer of alienation and the picture of crucifixion, which we've said already. So in verses 1 through 10, we have Christ's prayer of alienation. In verses 1 through 10, then when we walk through this, we'll see there's an alternating between an exclamation of grief of our Savior, and then a petitioning to the Father for help. This is the God-man. He's fully man, experiencing the suffering on the cross as a true man. And so there's these exclamations of grief, alternating with a petitioning to the Father for help. And in the process, as we go through these first 10 verses, we see a clear decrease of intensity and an increase of his confidence in his God. It's a perfect example for us as we walk through affliction as well. So in verses 1 and 2 it begins with this, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far off from helping me? And from the words of my groaning, O my God, I cry in the daytime, but you do not hear, and in the night season, and am not silent. And certainly you recognize those opening lines, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Perhaps the most stunning words of all scripture where Christ on the cross is calling these words out. We know these are Jesus' words from the cross. It's recorded in Matthew 27 and Mark 15. Jesus says this very thing. And the context is after three hours of darkness on the cross, As Christ is fulfilling the wrath being poured down upon Him for the sins of His people, and suffering the propitiation of the wrath that was meant for His people. And God darkening the whole sky as a covering for this, both representing the darkness of the act, but also having a covering for Him. Christ is crying out, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? It seems like the Holy Father is turning away Himself from His sinless Son who has now become sin for His sheep. It's the apex of agony. It's the apex of Christ's shame and revulsion over sin. The sinless One who now has taken on our sin, His suffering and His death as the wrath of Holy God is poured out. And it gives us insight why not long before that he's in the garden praying and preparing for the very thing he came to earth to do. You'd think this would be easy, but he's praying before and drops of blood are being sweat out of him because he's agonizing over what he's going to do. Why? Because of the spiritual suffering on the cross. of suffering the wrath of hell in a sense, but we would have to suffer an eternity in hell if our sins would not be forgiven. But he's doing this for us. But then in verses 3-5, you see an alternating back. He says, "...but you," speaking to his father, "...but you are holy." Now he's resting on the character of his God in the midst of such trial. "...but you are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in you, they trusted in you delivered them. They cried to you and were delivered, they trusted in you and were not ashamed." So you can see him now turning back as an example for us. He's clinging to the character of what he knows of his Father of God in the midst of the most dark trial one could go through. Even though it's the Father himself who's pouring the affliction out upon him in his sovereignty. But then in verses 6-8, then we have him turning back and says, but I am a worm and no man. This is Christ saying this, a reproach of men and despised by the people. All those who see me ridicule me. Think of Christ on the cross with the mocking and the taunting below. They shoot out the lip. They shake the head, saying, he trusted in the Lord. Let him rescue him now. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him. You can't help but see the picture of the cross here very clearly. You see the humiliation of Christ on our account that we read in Philippians 2, verses 5-8. As men are blaspheming Him, taunting Him, basically saying, come down! If you're the Son of God, save yourself. You say you can save others, you can't save yourself. If you're the Son of God, God likes you, won't He take you down? And it's almost exactly what's said in Matthew 27 verses 39 through 43. What you see here in verses 6 through 8 is not only is the son seeing the father abandon him, at least that's what it feels like to him, he's also seeing man abandon him as well. We know the disciples have fled at this point. But then in verses 9 through 10 we turn back, We come back to God as we should in time of trial. But you, verse 9, who took me out of the womb, it's speaking of the incarnation of Christ. This is the Son of God who became man and entrusting Himself to the will of His Father as He's on earth as the God-man. But you who took me out of the womb, you made me trust while on my mother's breasts I was cast upon you from birth from my mother's womb. You have been my God. He's looking back to the character and the faithfulness of his God, but now it's even more personal, even more confident. This whole section, verse 1, began with, my God, my God, where are you? But now it ends, in a sense, with verse 10, you've always been my God, and I will trust in you. What an example of trusting the holy, faithful will and provision of God in time of great affliction. We should do the same thing. So then verses 1 through 10, you have the prayer of alienation, giving an insight of Christ's thoughts on the cross. But then starting with verse 11 and all the way through verse 21, we have a vivid picture of the crucifixion. We haven't had enough already, but we have a vivid picture of the crucifixion starting with verse 11. In verse 11, Christ says, Be not far from me, for trouble is near, for there is none to help. He's alone. He longs for the presence of the Father, but none could help. Of course, part of that is because he had to do this alone. Christ, to be our Savior, he had to do this alone, without help. This was his work to do, alone. And only he could do it, as Cary professed even today. Only through Christ can our sins be forgiven, can we have salvation. And only Christ could do this. At this point in verse 11, the cheering that He wants, you remember when He came to Jerusalem, there was parades, there were palm leaves put down on the ground, there was shouting and cheering. Now the cheering has turned to cursing. The disciples have turned away and fled. His Father has turned away, and now even darkness secludes Him. And He's to Himself completely alone. And so we see all are turning away from Him in verse 11 and following. And then the vivid description of His trouble and the crucifixion on the cross is being seen starting in verse 12. And we see emotional suffering and physical suffering and then spiritual suffering. Let's just read this. Many bulls have surrounded me. Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me. Now, these aren't literal bulls, but the men and the women around the cross taunting and circling. These are like bulls encircling and stomping the feet and gaping open their mouths. It's like circling prey ready to devour like a lion. They gape at me with their mouths like a raging and roaring lion. Verse 14, I'm poured out like water And all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax. It is melted within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd. And my tongue clings to my jaws. You've brought me to the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded me. The congregation of the wicked has enclosed me. They pierced my hands and my feet. I count all my bones. They look and stare at me. They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots." In verses 12-18. I'd like to think that when you're reading that, you're being reminded of other Scripture in the Gospels of the description of what occurred in the four Gospels of Christ's crucifixion. We have emotional suffering. I think verses 12 and 13 really emphasize the emotional suffering. His friends have become enemies who now are acting like beasts, both mighty, bulls and lions, and small dogs are encircling him and surrounding him, gaping and raging around him in taunts and blasphemes." The emotional suffering of that. We have the physical suffering. He says, my bones are out of joint. I think it's a reference to John 19.36, where none of his bones are broken. but they're out of joint. The slamming down into the hole. Nothing was broken, but the bones are out of joint. His strength is dried up. He cried from the cross, I thirst! The dryness of it physically. They pierced My hands and My feet. You think of Zechariah 12 and John 19. They can count My bones? Our Savior was naked to the world? He's a covering for our sin, but He was uncovered to the world. His bones could be counted, and perhaps even just the gauntness of Him before the whole world. And they divide by garments and cast lots for it. In Matthew chapter 27, that's what they did. The soldiers below, they cast lots, divided His garments, and this was prophesied centuries before. But the worst thing is, The spiritual suffering, which is usually ignored. We can make movies about the crucifixion of Christ. I don't know if that's a good idea, because you cannot express the most important and the worst part of what he suffered, which is the spiritual suffering of suffering the wrath of God for his people's sins. I think you see that in verses 14 and 15. I'm poured out like water. Yes, that's a physical description, but it's also a spiritual description. I'm poured out like water. My heart is like wax. It's melted within me. The sinless one becoming sin and knowing the wrath of God. My strength is dried up. He says, you have brought me to the dust of death. Speaking about the hellish wrath that's being poured upon him by the Father. You've brought me to the dust of death, recognizing the wrath that he's suffering as a judgment from the Father." Notice he says, you have brought me to the dust of death. Earlier he says, they have pierced me. But you have brought me to the dust of death. It's understanding this is the sovereign will of the Father who uses the free will of man to actually carry out what was decreed. The suffering under the intense wrath of the Father for our sins requires the Son's complete receiving of the pouring out of God's wrath and the complete pouring out of His own life unto death to propitiate God's wrath and to expiate our sins. It's sobering, but it makes you rejoice. Then in verses 19 through 21, again we have a turning. We're seeing in verses 12-18, you see, all are turning from Him, the Father and the people. But now in verses 19-21, you see then, He turns again to the Father in the midst of the greatest agony could ever be known. In verses 19-21, we read, but you, again, you, O Lord, do not be far from me. That same theme, don't be far from me, don't be far from me. Oh, my strength, hasten to help me. Help me during this time. Deliver me from the sword, from death and judgment. My precious life from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion's mouth and from the horns of the wild ox and the bulls, the lions, the dogs surrounding him. You have answered me." Which literally means, you have heard. So we see now, he turns to the Father. And verses 19-21 really are a turning point. He turns to the Father now. His communion with His Father is being restored. He's saying, please come near, O Father, strengthen me. Deliver my soul from destruction. Deliver my life from the bulls and the lions and the dogs and the evil one himself. And then the very end, You have answered me, which means You have heard is wonderful. Now it's the turning point of the whole psalm. It's a line of triumph. You have answered me. You have heard. His prayer to the Father has been heard. The Father indeed has held on to Him and made Him preserved to the end. And now the gloom of the cross is departed." There's a new tone for the remainder of the psalm. Now we see from this point on the victory and the benefits of the cross. And why is that? Because what has happened is the Father has heard the Son from the cross, which means that now the Father has accepted the Son's sacrifice for the full atonement of sin for His people. And with this assurance that Christ's atonement would be accepted, Christ now proclaims with the rest of the psalm with joy and anticipation that untold generations of all kinds of people would be saved and become His brethren as a result of His efficacious suffering on the cross. You can say amen at that if you'd like to. You can clap at that if you'd like. This is the turning point. The Father has received what the Son is doing. In other words, because the Father heard the Son from the cross and answered Him, now the Gospel of Christ and the church of Christ will expand and triumph evermore. And so we understand why in Hebrews 12.2 it's recorded that Christ, for the joy set before Him, Endured the cross, despising its shame. What joy is in the cross? Well, here's what the joy is. It's what the cross would then bring. And now we have a wonderful transition from the suffering of the cross to the triumph of the cross in Psalm 22. So now we go to verse 22. And the whole tenor of the psalm changes. In verse 22, like verse 1 is key, Because what we have in verse 22 is we look at the triumph of the cross. And first of all, we see Jesus' proclamation in verse 22. Because just like verse 1, verse 22 is clearly, this is a recording of Christ's actual words. In verse 22, I will declare your name to my brethren. We're called his brethren. In the midst of the assembly, I will praise You." Verse 22. We know that these are Jesus' words because it's shown to be in Hebrews 2. In Hebrews 1 and 2, in the first two chapters of Hebrews, the main point is that Jesus is God. That Jesus is God. In chapter 2, starting in verse 9, now we're showing how Christ became the Savior of His people by stooping to become like them. God became man and making them members of His family. If you look at Hebrews 2, starting in verse 9, we see this. In Hebrews 2, verse 9. But we see Jesus. who is made a little lower than the angels. He's God, but yet He was made lower than the angels when He became man as well. For the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor..." This refers to Psalm 8, by the way. "...that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying," this is Jesus saying about his brethren, "'I will declare your name to my brethren. In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to you.'" This is Psalm 22, verse 22. This is Jesus' words in His coming as man, and dying, and being raised for the salvation of His people, saying, I will declare Your name to My brethren. In the midst of the assembly, I will sing praise to You." And so what we have then by the authority of the New Testament in Hebrews 2, is that the words of Psalm 22, 22 are the words of Christ. And the brethren of the second half of Psalm 22, which we're about to read, are the brethren referred to in Hebrews 2. all those who are saved by Christ and entered into His church. The brethren are the brothers and sisters for whom Christ died and rose again. This is a glorious forgotten part of Psalm 22. And so the suffering of the cross in verses 1-21 in Psalm 22, the suffering is applied to the brethren that we read about in verses 22-31. Part 2 of Psalm 22 proclaims the triumph and the expanse of the Church of Christ by the Gospel of Christ. Before we walk through Psalm 22 verses 22 and following, let me quote from James Boyce who says, The second half of Psalm 22 is thus a throbbing, soaring anticipation of the expanding proclamation of the Gospel and of the growing and triumphant Christian Church And it's represented in three phases. So at verse 22, we've just seen Jesus' proclamation. Now at verses 22-31, we'll see the proclamation of expanding congregation from, my brethren, to the great assembly, to the next generation. Those who are not even born. My brethren, which is just simply the assembly, to the great assembly, to the next generation, which is the posterity, those who would come to Christ in later, later years. Let's look at verses 22-24. We see, 1st expands to, My brethren, verses 22-24, I will declare your name to My brethren in the midst of the assembly. I will praise you, you who fear the Lord. Praise Him, all you descendants of Jacob. Glorify Him and fear Him, all you offspring of Israel. For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted. The afflicted one will not abhor the one who is afflicted. Though Hebrews chapter 2 tells us that brethren represents both Jew and Gentile, all peoples, Psalm 22 emphasizes Jewish believers by speaking of Jacob and Israel. But we know that the gospel was meant to go to the Jew first and then the Gentile, and we know that's actually what happened. We read in Acts chapter 1 and Romans 1 verse 16. And then starting in v. 25, now it expands from the assembly, the brethren, to now the great assembly. My praise shall be of You in the great assembly. V. 25, I will pay my vows before those who fear Him. The poor shall eat and be satisfied. Those who seek Him will praise the Lord. Let your heart live forever. All the ends of the world This is a great assembly. "...shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations..." That means all the families of the Gentiles, all peoples, "...shall worship before you. For the kingdom is the Lord's, and He rules over the nations. 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." The assembly of verse 22 is now expanded to the great assembly of verse 25. And the gospel goes, and the church goes forward to Jew and to Gentile and to all and all the ends of the earth and all the families of the nations. And then verses 30 and 31, you have an even greater expansion to the next generation, to all posterity, those who are not yet born. This is wonderful. A posterity, verse 30, shall serve him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation. They shall come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, that He has done this." The atonement of Christ will be applied to Jews and Gentiles and future generations, even a people who will be born, a posterity shall serve Him. We see this in John 17 and Jesus' high priestly prayer before He goes to the cross. And He prays for His disciples, but He also prays for all those who will believe through the message of the disciples. And you see it here in Psalm 22, verse 31 as well. And this expansion is for all types of sinners. As our King and our Shepherd is proud to be the King and Shepherd over all types of people. Jews, Gentiles, black, white, afflicted, poor, prosperous, helpless, no matter what your background or who you are, we're all the same. We're sinners. We all need Christ, and Christ is the Shepherd and the King over all who will come to Him through all generations. I want you to look at the very last line, especially if you have the New King James. Not all versions do this, but I think the New King James gets it right here. I'll call it verse 31C. That He has done this. And just like earlier where it says, you have answered me, literally means you have heard. He has done this is the same thing as saying, it is finished. I think the New King James has it right. I think this is how Jesus understood it from the cross. It is finished. So it's marvelous that the end of the psalm of the cross which applies the suffering of Christ from the first half of the psalm to the redeemed sheep of the shepherd of the second half can be understood as ending with, it is finished. Nothing more needs to be done. Christ has done it. Rest in Him and Him alone. And James Boyce says in response to this, what was finished, was the atonement by which the righteous demands of God for sin's punishment had been fully satisfied, and the righteousness of God was now able to be freely offered to all who would believe on Jesus." Of course, the point is, as Carrie professed her faith this morning, we appreciate that greatly and welcome her into the membership of our church. The point though is, we can recognize the horrors of what Christ suffered. And that it is finished. And God has heard us. It is done. There is a sacrifice for sin. Wrath has been propitiated. But it does you no good if you will not recognize your own sin. And it separates you from God. And the wrath that Christ suffered is still yours to suffer if you do not come to Christ in repentance of sin. And placing your faith in who Christ is and what He has done. that your sins can be expiated, and the wrath of God for your sin would be propitiated, and now you who are an enemy of God, Romans chapter 5, now you can become a son or a daughter of the Father, and cry out, Abba Father, and refer to Christ as your brother and Savior. So we urge you to call out to Christ in repentance and faith. But before you can see the good news of Christ, you have to see the bad news of your sin. Why did He come in the first place? It was to save His people from their sin. And so we see our proclamation. If you're a Christian, our proclamation, verse 31. They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born. It is finished. This is to be our proclamation. All types of people, Jew and Gentile, near and far, rich and poor, living and yet to be born, all will one day bow before the Lord Jesus Christ. All of those will know Him as Savior, who humble themselves before Him and trust Him, and who fear Him, verses 23 and 25, who seek Him. I love verse 26. Those who seek Him will praise the Lord, let your heart live forever when you seek Him. This is what you find. Those who remember and turn to Him, verse 27. Those who bow down before Him, verse 29, and worship Him, verse 27, will know Christ as Lord and Savior. in Christ's new brethren, and that refers to we who are Christians, shall be his witnesses, as it says in Acts 1, which he says we should do this by the power of the Spirit, to be his witnesses. And we are expected to come and declare Christ's righteousness to a people who will be born. That means now. How can we stay silent? of our glorious Savior in the Gospel and the expansion of the Gospel in the Church, how can we not be a part of this and go forth with it? May we who have been so redeemed by our King and Shepherd be faithful witnesses to do so. And if you do not know Christ and His righteousness, we ask that you humble yourself and bow yourself before this King and Shepherd in repentance and faith. Let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, I don't know what else there is to be said. The Scripture has said it all. Jesus has paid it all. I just pray, Lord, in response to such a vivid description of Christ's agony and His sacrifice for our sin and His propitiation of the wrath that we deserve. And then the joyous expression of the results of the cross that we get to be a part of in response May those who are here, who have yet to bow the knee before Christ, it sounds unloving, but may they feel the weight of their sin upon their shoulders. Because the weight of their sin upon their shoulders now is far better if it leads to salvation than the weight of God's wrath upon their shoulders for eternity. May they see their sin in its darkness, reflected in the darkness around Christ when he died for the sins of his people. And may they then turn to see the beauty of Christ, God who became man, who is humiliated on the account of his people. The beauty of that, the most vile act in all of history is also the most beautiful event of all history. And they'd come in repentance and faith to Christ and know a newness of life, forgiveness of sins, and a righteousness of Christ imputed to them. And Lord, may we who know Christ, who have been redeemed by Him, who can cry out, Abba, Father, and call Him our brother, may we love Him all the more, and love one another all the more, that we might together go forth with the Gospel of Christ, both in our words and our lives. It's in Jesus' name we pray these things. Amen.