Well, we begin with some words from Psalm 103, which I'll read, and then we shall sing together.
But the psalmist writes,
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.
Well, we want to begin by singing together these words, Psalm 103, which can be found on page 135,
the Sing Psalms version, and we'll sing together the first 11 verses of Psalm 103 on page 135.
Praise God, my soul, with all my heart.
Let me exalt his holy name.
Forget not all his benefits,
His grace, my soul, and song proclaims.
The Lord forgives you all your sins,
And heals your sickness and distress,
Your life he rescues from the grave,
And crowns you in his tenderness,
And crowns you in his tenderness.
He satisfies your deep desires,
From his unending source of good,
So that just like the evil strength,
Your youthful vigor is renewed.
The Lord is known for righteous acts,
And justice stood and trodden once,
To Moses he made known his ways,
His mighty deeds to Israel's sons,
His mighty deeds to Israel's sons.
The Lord is merciful and kind,
To anger slow and full of grace,
He will not constantly reprove,
For in his anger hide his face,
He does not punish our misdeeds,
Or kill our sins,
Their just reward,
And great is love that's high as hell
To our tolls who fear the Lord.
Let's now come before God in prayer.
We do want to bless you,
Our awesome and thrice holy God.
We bless you for your glory,
That you are clothed in splendor and majesty.
We bless you for all of your works in creation,
That you have stretched out the heavens like a tent,
And set the earth upon its foundations.
It is you,
Our Father,
Who causes the grass to grow.
It is you who gives to us bread,
To strengthen our hearts.
And we praise you that you are the giver,
Of every good and perfect gift,
Giving to us food,
Clothing,
And shelter,
Enabling us to delight daily,
In your great goodness.
And how we thank you,
Lord,
That your tender care extends,
Not only to our bodies,
But to our spirits,
To our souls.
And that you have met us,
At our deepest point of need.
That in and through our Lord Jesus Christ,
You have forgiven us,
All of our iniquities.
You have redeemed our lives from the pit,
You have set our feet upon a rock,
You have put a new song in our mouths,
And you have promised to us a glorious inheritance,
In the age to come.
Lord,
How we want to sing your praise,
For you are the God merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger,
Rich in steadfast love.
You are our heavenly Father,
Who shows compassion to his children,
For you remember how we are made.
We are grass,
Our lives are as mist,
And yet you are from everlasting to everlasting,
And your love is from everlasting to everlasting,
For those who fear you.
And so as we gather around the table,
This morning as we share in the supper,
Would you remind us of that love?
Would you refresh us with that holy love?
A love that even while we were your enemies,
Sent Christ to die for us.
A love shown that we did not love you,
But you loved us,
And sent him to make atonement for all of our sins.
Lord, as we read your word,
As we share the meal,
Would we be conscious of your grace?
Would you minister to us
That grace?
Satisfy us in the morning with your goodness,
Strengthen our hearts in faith,
And remind us afresh of the hope
That is ours in Christ,
To whom we glory forever and ever,
The hope that one day we shall take our places
Around his heavenly banquet,
And share fellowship with him,
The master of the feast.
And so it is in his name,
And through him we bring to you our prayers,
And we bring to you ourselves.
Amen.
Well, it is very good to be here this morning.
Thank you for your invitation,
And it is good to see
A number of
The younger ones with us,
Including our own daughters,
Who are very much enjoying their time
On the island.
And I wonder if you are ever at school,
With your friends,
And they say to you,
What does it mean to be a Christian?
What happens when you go to church?
What does the Bible teach?
And I am sure we have all been in
The situation where,
When asked that question,
Our minds have gone blank,
And perhaps our mouths have dried up,
And we think,
Well, I am not quite sure what to say.
And I have been in that situation many times.
And so I want to give you
A little helpful tool,
That perhaps when somebody asks you that,
You can explain to them
What it means to follow the Lord Jesus Christ.
And the tool is a very simple one,
You have probably got it in your house.
It is a piece of blank paper.
So if your mind goes blank,
You can reach for the blank paper.
And you can say to your friend,
I am just going to show you
What the Christian faith is all about.
And I am going to show you
Some art and craft now.
Okay?
I am no expert.
But if you are good at paper aeroplanes,
What you can do,
Is you can fold the sheet,
Across one way,
Like this.
And then you can fold it across the other way,
So it now looks like a little house.
And then if you fold it in half,
Twice more,
You arrive at this simple shape.
It looks a little bit like a paper aeroplane now.
And then if you have a pair of scissors,
All you do is you cut right down the middle.
I will just tear it,
To demonstrate.
And after that you are left with all these different shaped pieces.
They all sort of fall out in your hands.
Now,
I am no artist,
And so as you used to see in cookery programs,
Here is one I made earlier.
And here is a couple I made earlier.
And if you put all these pieces together,
It only takes a minute or two,
It actually depicts
The scene at the cross.
What is the Christian faith all about?
It is about the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Here is the cross.
Here are the dice.
The soldiers used to gamble for his clothing.
We will think about that later.
Here is the spear that pierced his side.
And if you put all the different pieces together,
You actually have the scene at Calvary.
The two crosses,
The thieves,
One of whom professed faith in the moments before his death.
And so the heart of the gospel,
As Paul reminds us,
Is that Christ died for sins according to the Scriptures.
He was raised to life on the third day according to the Scriptures.
And as such,
He is able to forgive us all of our sins,
Just as we have sung.
And He is able to give us life,
New life,
Lived in the power of His Holy Spirit.
New life that continues forever in glory.
And if you take these pieces,
You can rearrange them to spell the word life.
I don't know if you can read that all the way up at the back.
It's a bit blocky.
But the Christian faith is about the death and resurrection of Christ,
And the new life that He gives us.
To know Him,
To know God as our Father,
To count one another as brothers and sisters,
And to walk with Him in faith,
In hope,
And in love.
So I hope you all get asked that question this week,
And I hope you all have a piece of A4 paper,
In your rucksack,
Or your handbag,
And you'll be able to explain that,
To anyone who asks you for a reason,
For the hope that is in us.
Amen.
Well, we'll pray again,
And this time we're just going to pray together
The words the Lord Himself taught us,
The words of the Lord's Prayer,
Which are printed on the Order of Service,
Just on the second page.
So let's unite our hearts together,
As we say,
With one another,
The words of the Lord's Prayer.
Our Father,
Which art in heaven,
Hallowed be your name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth,
As it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors,
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
The power,
And the glory forever.
Amen.
Well, we want to sing again,
At this time the words of the 23rd Psalm,
On page 229,
Of the Scottish Psalter.
A psalm that speaks once more,
Of God's goodness and mercy,
Following us all the days of our lives.
And that we shall sing,
The psalm in its entirety,
Verses 1 to 6,
The Lord's my shepherd,
I'll not want,
He makes me down to lie,
In pastures green,
He leadeth me,
The quiet waters by.
The Lord's my shepherd,
He'll not want,
In exit angel eye,
In pastures twin it hath me
The quiet watershine.
My soul it all restored again,
And me to walk the pain
Within the house of righteousness,
In honest london sing.
Yet though I walk in days dark fill,
Yet will I hear none ill,
For thou art with me,
And thy rod hath soft me come forth still.
My table love has furnished
In presence of my foes,
My death and dust with oil and oil,
And my cup overflowed.
Goodness and mercy all my life
Shall surely follow me,
And in God's eyes forevermore,
My dwelling place shall be.
Amen.
Well I wanted to read with you this morning from,
Not the 23rd Psalm, but the 22nd Psalm,
Which can be found on page 548 of the church Bibles.
And then to spend some time together looking at this text.
Psalm 22 on page 548 of the church Bible.
And it has the heading to the choir master,
According to the doe of the dawn,
A psalm of David.
Let us hear together the word of God.
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.
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.
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.
Yet you are he who took me from the womb.
You made me trust you at my mother's breasts.
On you I was cast from my birth,
And from my mother's womb.
You have been my God.
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 jaw,
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.
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,
Save me from the mouth of the lion,
You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen.
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.
And we thank God for His Word and the Psalm.
Before we study together we want to sing once more,
This time from the Sing Psalms version of Psalm 40,
Which can be found on page 51 of Sing Psalms,
Psalm 40 verse 5 through to verse 10,
The wonders you have done, O Lord,
How many and how great they are.
Your plans for us are far beyond our power to number or declare.
Sing once more to the praise of God.
The wonders you have done, O Lord,
Where wonders you have done, O Lord,
How many and how great they are.
Your plans for us are far beyond our power to number or declare.
Our power to number or declare.
You did not ask that paths or goals,
We brought us sacrifice for sin,
But you have opened up my ears,
You did not seek for top of the day.
Then I declare, O Lord, I have come.
It's written, O Lord, the endless road.
I want to do your will, my God,
Your law is in my heart and soul.
In the assembly when it met,
Your justice I profiled abroad,
I did not seal my lips at all.
You know all this about me, Lord.
I did not hide within my heart,
Your saving grace on righteousness,
In the assembly I proclaim,
Your steadfast love and faithfulness.
you will know
Please do keep your Bible open there to Psalm 22, which we shall look at together and then think about in its context in the New Testament.
I mentioned earlier that I'm very much praying for you over in Kilmally and our Dominican Free Church.
Great to have fellowship and partnership in the gospel with you all.
And in our congregation there, we have been studying together through the book of Psalms.
It's a remarkable book in Scripture.
We can pray the Psalms, we can sing the Psalms, and we can preach the Psalms.
They are a treasure trove for the people of God.
And so we decided we'd study through the Psalms in sequential order, beginning at number one, and at some indeterminate point in the far future, arriving at Psalm 150.
In recent weeks, we've been looking at Psalms 19, 20, and 21.
And so I felt it fitting as we come to the Lord's table this morning to study together Psalm 22.
For the Lord himself quotes the Psalm upon the cross at Calvary.
And we know that the Psalms are often arranged in a particular manner, brought together, perhaps some theme uniting them.
And it's interesting, Psalms 20 and 21, that they speak of somebody who trusts in the Lord in times of trouble and who recognizes his deliverance.
Psalm 20 may have been sung or prayed before the king and his armies went to battle.
A little bit like singing the national anthem.
And it has that great refrain, 20 verse 7,
Some trust in chariots and horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
And with that, the king goes to battle confident that God will deliver and bring salvation.
And Psalm 21 is seen as the counterpart to that Psalm.
It is perhaps the Psalm that was sung when he returned victorious from battle.
And in verse 7 of that Psalm, we read that the king trusts in the Lord, and through the steadfast love of the Lord, he shall not be moved.
The king trusts in the Lord, the Lord saves and delivers him.
And just reading these two Psalms, we might think that would be true in the life of the believer,
that if we trust in the Lord, all we will know is victory and success.
We will pass all our exams.
We will get all the jobs we apply for.
We will hear the words we want to hear in the outpatient clinic.
But when we come to Psalm 22, we realize that life is not so straightforward.
Many times we find that same word, trust.
Verse 5, the Psalmist's fathers trusted in God.
He delivered them.
They trusted in God and were not put to shame.
And yet the Psalmist himself, though he has trusted in God from his earliest years,
now finds himself in trouble.
Verse 11, and he thinks there is none to help, none to hear in his hour of need.
The Psalmist is afflicted by men, verbally, physically.
But worst of all, he feels abandoned by God, that God has forsaken him, that God is far from him.
So we want to look at the Psalm and think about the situation he finds himself in,
but also the solution to his distress.
Now this Psalm, we are mindful, is a very special Psalm.
It is a messianic Psalm.
It looks forward to the one who was to come, great David's greater son.
When the Lord was raised from the tomb,
in Luke's gospel we're told that he met some of the disciples on the road to Emmaus.
And in that very cheerful chapter, he begins to speak with them.
And when he gathers together with his disciples in Luke chapter 24, verse 44,
he explains to them that everything written about him in the law of Moses
and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.
And this Psalm 22 is one of the most oft-quoted Psalms in the New Testament,
quoted by the Lord himself in the hour of his death.
And so we want to look at this Psalm,
ask what it teaches us about David's woes,
and then a thousand years later about the Lord's work.
And the Psalm really breaks into two halves.
The first 21 verses are a Psalm of lament,
which we read of the suffering of the Lord's anointed,
the suffering of God's Messiah.
But then Psalm 22, verse 22 to the end,
becomes a Psalm of rejoicing,
a Psalm of celebration,
where we read of a salvation,
this salvation of a great and a global multitude.
So we have suffering,
and then salvation.
The Psalmist is one who trusts in the Lord.
He is one who trusts in the Lord in times of trouble.
So important to keep trusting in times of trouble.
You do not get out of the train when it's stuck in the tunnel.
But although he trusts in the Lord,
he feels forsaken by the Lord.
And there is three times that word far.
Verse 1,
Why are you so far from saving me?
Verse 11,
Be not far from me.
Verse 19,
Be not far off.
Trouble is near.
He's in the day of trial and temptation.
But God seems far off.
Though he prays day and night,
it seems that the phone is off the hook.
And there is none to hear.
And there is none to help.
The Psalmist is an orthodox man.
He knows the theory.
He knows that God delivered his fathers
when they trusted in him.
Yet his experience seems different.
Though in the past,
God has been his help and his trust.
In this darkest day,
in this dark night of the soul,
he feels forsaken by God.
The Psalmist here describes his own experience.
He anticipates the experience of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But that experience might reflect your experience
or my experience today.
Maybe a difficult day.
One writer says,
The Christian life is a bed of roses,
thorns and all.
Thomas Boston wrote,
Sin has turned this world from a paradise into a thicket.
There is no getting through without being scratched.
The Psalm may reflect our experience
if we are facing present trials.
And David's trial seemed to be
that he was verbally and physically
suffering at the hands of others.
Verse 6 tells us that he feels less than human.
He feels like a worm.
He's scorned by mankind.
He's despised by the people.
And he's mocked,
not least because he trusts in God.
One paraphrase has these words,
Everybody pokes fun at me.
They make faces at me.
They shake their heads.
He is an object of scorn and derision,
not least for his trust in God.
So his self-esteem is in his boots.
He feels less than human.
He feels like a worm.
And the language he uses to describe his opponents
suggests they are less than human as well.
They are depicted as wild beasts.
Verse 12,
They're strong bulls.
Verse 13,
They're hungry lions.
Verse 16,
They are like a pack of stray dogs.
Though they are human,
they are behaving like animals.
Their animal instincts are coming through.
So David suffers emotionally.
He's suffering psychologically.
And he's suffering physically.
Verse 14,
He is injured.
His bones are out of joint.
His heart is like wax.
He's lost weight.
He's lost strength.
He's dehydrated.
His tongue is stuck to his mouth.
And they have pierced his hands and his feet.
Verse 18,
His opponents think he's about to die.
And rather cruelly and rather cynically,
they are gambling for his clothes,
dividing up his garments.
He won't need them anymore.
He'll just need a shroud.
And so we'll take his clothes for ourselves.
Very cruel,
very cynical,
very callous men.
Laughing at him.
Mocking him,
waiting for him to die.
And in his distress,
and in his despair,
he cries out
to the one he trusts in.
Do not be far off.
Deliver my soul
from the power of the dog,
from the mouths of lions.
He is one who is suffering terribly
on account of his faith.
Suffering at the hands of men.
Suffering because he feels
that God is far off
in the day of trouble.
Silence in heaven.
And that has been the experience,
hasn't it,
of some Christians
throughout history.
Earlier this year,
I read
the Tartan Pimpernail,
the biography of
Donald Caskey.
It's a great adventure story.
He was the minister in Paris
at the outbreak of World War II,
the minister in the Scotskirk.
And he got involved
with smuggling British soldiers
and airmen out of France
and back to safety
in the UK.
But his activities were discovered
and he was arrested.
He was moved
from prison to prison.
And one time,
he was incarcerated
in what used to be
a delightful villa.
But he was thrown
into the cellar.
He was fed only
bread and water.
He was mistreated
by his guards.
And day and night,
he heard the screaming
of his fellow prisoners.
And he writes,
when in the night,
screaming echoed again,
waking me from a deep sleep.
It overpowered me
with horror.
I shouted for the guard,
but no answer came.
I felt that even God
had deserted us.
My head reeled
and I thought,
this must be hell.
There is no escape.
This horror
will go on forever.
And then the words
of my Savior
came to mind
and I whispered
into the darkness,
my God, my God,
why hast thou forsaken me?
Well, that dark night
of the soul
didn't last long
for Caskey
and his faith
was revived.
He was used of God
in that prison
and elsewhere
and he returned
ultimately to his ministry.
But perhaps you can relate
to the words
of these verses,
the words of this psalmist.
Why is God far off
when trouble is near?
But that is only
half the psalm.
That is only half
the story.
And verse 22,
there's a dramatic change.
There's a gear shift.
There's a key change.
And there is a very
significant turning point.
And the psalmist begins
to speak of the deliverance
which he's either experienced
or looks forward
to experiencing.
when he will get together
with a great congregation
of his brothers
and sisters
and give thanks to God.
And he looks forward
to that day
when the families
of the earth,
when a great multitude
will gather
in worship
from home and abroad.
He looks forward
to what God will do.
He looks forward
to glorifying him
in the midst
of the congregation.
And the reason is,
verse 24,
for the Lord
has not despised
the affliction
of the afflicted.
He has not hidden
his face from him.
Though the psalmist
was despised
and scorned
by these men,
God has not
despised him.
Though they shook
their heads
at him,
God has not
hidden his face
from him.
He cried
to the Lord
and the Lord
hears
and responds
to his cry.
And he looks forward
to celebrating
that deliverance
in the company
of the saints.
The afflicted
shall eat
and be satisfied.
I will praise
your name
among my brothers.
He's anticipating,
I suppose,
a special service
of thanksgiving.
And yesterday,
we went to Carloway
and we were
very pleased
to see all the work
that had happened there
in the renovation project.
And this morning,
this very hour,
they're having
a service of thanksgiving,
a special service
to thank God
for what he's done.
That's what the psalmist
looks forward to,
telling the Lord's name
to his brothers
in the midst
of the congregation.
A special service
of worship
and a worship
that will extend,
verse 27,
to all the ends
of the earth.
All the families
of the nations
will worship
the king
who rules over
the nations.
That day
when the promise
made to Abraham
will be fulfilled,
where the whole world
will be blessed,
where the whole earth
will be filled
with the glory
of God
as the waters
cover the sea.
All nations
will come,
another generation
will come,
posterity
shall serve him,
and we have
this scene
of universal worship.
worship.
So the psalm
seems to fall
into these two halves,
a psalm of distress,
point of death,
and then a psalm
of rejoicing,
great deliverance
and celebration
and worship,
a hopeless situation,
hope and a future.
after the suffering
of the righteous
one,
after the time
of darkness,
there will be joy
and there will be
deliverance
and the praise
of God
will sound forth
not only in Israel
but through
the whole world.
And that's a trajectory
many psalms follow.
Many psalms
have that pattern
of despair
and then deliverance
from death.
Psalm 30,
Psalm 116,
weeping in the night,
rejoicing in the morning,
people celebrating
what God has done.
But this psalm
is the one
the Lord Jesus Christ
quoted
upon the cross.
It is this psalm
that is referenced
in each of the four
Gospels
in different ways.
some have described
the psalm
as the gospel
according to David
or even the fifth
gospel.
And when we turn
to the Gospels
we see that
these words
were spoken
by the Lord
and referred to
by the evangelists.
In Matthew 27,
Jesus cries out
from the cross,
My God,
my God,
why have you
forsaken me?
We read
in the gospel
accounts
of the soldiers
dividing his clothing,
casting lots,
gambling
for his last garment.
We know
that the people
there
mocked
and reviled him,
even the thieves
on the neighboring cross.
And we know
that the chief priests,
Matthew 27,
43,
quoted these words
back to Jesus.
He trusted in God,
let him
deliver him.
And we know
that the Lord's
hands and feet
were pierced
as he was nailed
to the cross.
Quite remarkable,
that should be mentioned
in the psalm.
The crucifixion
wasn't invented
for many centuries
after the life
of David.
But the words
of this psalm
were in the mouth
of the Lord
as he died.
They were in the minds
of the evangelists
as they wrote
under the inspiration
of the Holy Spirit.
And if Psalm 22
describes the episode
in David's life,
a time of darkness
when he felt
forsaken by God,
when he felt himself
about to die,
then it finds
fulfillment
in the life
of Christ
where he was
forsaken
by God
upon that cross,
where he did
die
and that
for his people.
David,
the Lord's
anointed,
a righteous one
who trusted in God
and yet suffered
at the hands
of men.
David the psalmist,
but as Acts chapter 2
tells us,
David also
the prophet.
And here he prefigures
and he predicts
the coming
of Christ
and his death
for the world.
His suffering
at the hands
of wicked men,
his being despised
and mocked,
his clothes
being divided,
his hands
and feet
being pierced
and then the terrible
silence in heaven
as darkness
covers the land
and the Lord Jesus
experiences
that forsakenness.
And of all the scenes
around the cross,
it is perhaps
that terrible silence
that is the most
terrible.
at the beginning
of the gospel,
a voice from heaven
came saying,
this is my beloved son
with whom I am
well pleased.
And that voice
now has nothing
to say
in response
to his cries.
The Lord Jesus,
who in the course
of his earthly ministry
said,
my father is always
with me,
now finds himself
alone,
nailed to a tree
abandoned.
And as we approach
that scene,
we come to the very
heart of the gospel.
We come,
as Martin Luther
said,
to the very heart
of Scripture,
the cross of Christ
runs through
the whole
of Scripture.
We come to the very
heart of human history.
Alexander McLaren
wrote,
the cross
is the center
of the world's
history.
The incarnation
of Christ
and the crucifixion
of our Lord
are the pivot
around which
all the events
of the ages
revolve.
So the Lord
quotes this
psalm.
He fulfills
this psalm.
David felt
forsaken.
David felt
close to death,
but he was
delivered.
But the Lord
experienced that
forsakenness.
The Lord
tasted
death.
James Packer,
the theologian,
says this,
On the cross,
Jesus lost
all the good
that he had
before,
all sense
of his Father's
presence and love,
all sense
of physical,
mental,
and spiritual
well-being,
all enjoyment
of God
and of created
things,
all ease
and solace
of friendship
were taken
from him.
And in their
place was
nothing but pain,
a killing sense
of human malice
and callousness
and a horror
of great
spiritual darkness.
How can this be?
how can a
righteous one
suffer in this
way?
How can the
Son of God
suffer in this
way?
And the
reason is
because he,
the righteous
one,
was suffering
for we,
the unrighteous,
bearing our
sins,
that he might
bring us to
God and
ultimately bring
us to glory.
As terrible
as the verbal
and physical
sufferings were,
it was the
withdrawal of
the Father's
presence
that was the
most disturbing,
the most
horrifying.
And in the
place of the
divine pleasure,
the divine
displeasure,
the wrath
of God
poured out
upon Christ.
Another Old
Testament prophet
Isaiah talks
about the one
who would be
pierced for
our transgressions.
that a
righteous one
would suffer
for the
unrighteous,
that the
one who
knew no
sin would
become sin,
the Son
would become
sin for us,
and that he,
the sin
bearer,
would enter
into the
presence of
a holy
God,
not with
the sacrifice
of blood,
bulls and
goats,
but of the
sacrifice of
himself,
the priest,
becoming the
victim.
And the
Lord experiences
the darkness,
the darkness
of the world
around that
day,
but the
outer darkness
of being cut
off from
God,
of tasting
his wrath,
and he does
so in order
that we
might never
be forsaken,
we might
never be cut
off or cast
out,
we might
never face
the righteous
wrath of a
holy God.
How deep
the Father's
love for us,
how vast
beyond all
measure,
that he
should give
his only
Son to
make a
wretch his
treasure,
how great
the pain
of searing
loss,
the Father
turns his
face away
as wounds
which mar
the chosen
one bring
many sons
to glory.
It was
my sin
that held
him there
until it
was accomplished,
his dying
breath has
brought me
life,
I know
that it
is finished,
that he
has done
it.
But that's
not the end
of the
psalm,
that's not
the end
of the story
after lament,
there is
joy after
an apparent
defeat,
there is
victory,
there is
the praising
of God's
name in the
congregation,
there is
the telling
of that
name to
his
brothers,
there is
the worship
of all
nations,
all the
families of
the earth.
And after
the terrible
suffering of
the righteous
one,
there is a
great
deliverance
that will
be told
throughout
the world
and told
all through
history.
And it's
very interesting
in Matthew's
gospel that
the gospel
continues beyond
chapter 27
and after
the events
of the
crucifixion
there is
the
resurrection.
And in
that gospel
Jesus
appears
and he
instructs
some of
his followers
to go
and tell
my brothers
to go
to Galilee.
He
rises
and tells
the name
of God
to his
brothers,
the only
mention
of the
brothers
in the
gospel.
praising
his name
in the
congregation.
And when
those brothers
assemble
in Galilee
he appears
to them
again.
And he
says to
them in
his parting
words,
all authority
in heaven
and on
earth has
been given
to me.
Therefore
go and
make
disciples
of all
nations.
All the
ends of
the earth
shall worship
and turn
to the
Lord.
All the
families
shall
worship
before
you.
And so
after the
suffering
of the
righteous
one,
the
brothers
will be
told and
the
nations
will hear
of the
salvation
of God.
The
suffering
of a
Davidic
figure,
an heir
of David
will lead
to the
fulfillment
of the
promise to
Abraham
of
universal
blessing.
And it
is that
that David
sees in
the
psalm.
It is that
we trust
that the
Lord
interpreted
to his
disciples
on the
road to
Emmaus
and in
the room
in which
he met
them.
We're told
at the end
of Luke's
gospel that
after his
resurrection he
interpreted the
law and the
prophets and
the Psalms
concerning
himself.
And he
said to his
followers that
the Christ
had to
suffer and
on the
third day
rise from
the dead
and that
repentance and
forgiveness of
sins would
be preached in
his name
beginning in
Jerusalem and
to all
nations.
Suffering,
repentance,
forgiveness,
universal
worship,
that all
nations might
turn to the
Lord and
trust in the
Lord for
their deliverance
from sin,
from the
powers of
darkness,
from the
outer
darkness that
Christ faced
on his
people's
behalf.
A
righteous
sufferer and
after that a
time of
universal
worship.
Christ
suffering upon
the cross,
Christ in
our place,
Christ for
us.
And then the
preaching of
the gospel,
announcing the
forgiveness of
sins,
announcing peace
with God,
announcing that
we can now
draw near
through the
most holy
place, into
the most holy
place, through
the new and
the living
way, that we
might never
face the
darkness alone,
we might
never face
the outer
darkness.
And that's
what we
remember this
morning as
we gather
around the
Lord's
Supper.
We look
back to
his sufferings
at Calvary,
his death
in our place,
the righteous
for the
unrighteous,
to bring us
to God.
God.
But then we
look forward
to his
coming again,
not to
bear sin,
but to
bring salvation
and to
gather in
all who
are his
and to
seat them
around the
heavenly banquet
above.
Jesus invites
his saints
to come to
him and
dine.
Here
pardoned
rebels meet
their Lord
through signs
of bread
and wine.
For food
he gives
his flesh,
he bids
us drink
his blood,
awaiting
favor,
matchless
grace of
our
descending
God.
So shall
this bread
and wine
maintain a
fainting
breath by
union with
our living
Lord by
interest in
his death?
So the
Lord bids
us to
come this
morning and
dine to
take the
bread and
the wine in
remembrance of
him.
God,
not because
we are
worthy,
not because
we are
righteous,
but because
he, the
righteous one,
gave himself
for us,
his life,
a ransom
for many.
And so he
bids us to
come.
But we
must come
having examined
our hearts.
And on Friday
night we
thought of the
faithfulness of
God to
we who
are very
often unfaithful
to him.
And last
night we
thought about
the forgiveness
of God and
how having
experienced
forgiveness
ourselves we
are to show
forgiveness one
to another.
The Apostle
Paul in
1 Corinthians
11 tells us
to examine
our hearts
before we
come to
the table.
Are we
right with
God?
Are we
right with
our brothers
and sisters?
And so the
invitation is
extended to
those who
know and
who love
the Lord,
who have a
living faith
in the
living Christ,
to those who
have been
baptized into
his name and
the name of
the Holy
Trinity,
and to
those who
are in
good standing
and membership
with a local
congregation.
The Lord
bids us to
come, to
eat and
drink and
to remember
his grace,
and his
love and
his mercy.
Well, before
we come to
the table,
we'll sing
once more,
this time the
118th Psalm
on page
398,
Psalm 118,
verses 15
to 23.
In
dwellings of
the righteous
is heard the
melody of
joy and
health the
Lord's
right hand
doth
ever
valiantly.
Psalm 118,
beginning at
verse 15.
thee in
the
scent of
the
v
righteousness
It's here the melody
Of joy and health
The Lord's right hand
Hath ever valiantly
The right hand of the mighty Lord
Exalted is on high
The right hand of the mighty Lord
Hath ever valiantly
I shall not die
But live and shall
The works of God discover
The Lord of which I set store
But not to death give no vow
Oh, set ye open unto thee
The gates of righteousness
Then will I enter into them
And I the Lord will bless
This is the gate of God
Peace, God that you shall
Your friends
Thou jeep
nodes
He hurts, and has my safety been.
That stone is mid-head cornerstone,
Which builders should despise.
This is the doing of the Lord,
And wondrous in our eyes.
In Peter's first letter we read that the prophets searched and inquired carefully,
Inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating,
When he predicted the sufferings of Christ, and the subsequent glories.
So the sons of Israel looked forward to the chosen one, to the righteous one, to the Christ who would come,
And win for them their deliverance and their salvation.
And the psalm we've just looked at gives us a very important clue,
As to the identity of the one of the work he was coming to do,
To complete the work his Father had given him.
To make atonement as the great high priest for the sins of his people.
To destroy the devil's work and to bring us out of his darkness.
To deliver us from death, from the last enemy.
Christ through his death gives himself for us,
And before his death he instituted the Lord's Supper,
That we write, remember all that he has done for us.
Psalm 103, the Lord knows how we are made, and he knows that we forget.
He knows that we become distracted in life.
He knows that we face many trials and temptations,
And we can lose sight of all that he has done for us.
And so before his suffering, he instituted with his disciples the Lord's Supper,
To bring to their and to our remembrance his selfless sacrifice,
His self-giving love for his people.
He gave them the bread to remember his body broken for them,
The wine, the blood of the new covenant poured out for them.
And he established with them the new covenant which the prophets had looked forward to.
A covenant which promised that all from the greatest to the least,
From the youngest to the oldest might know the Lord.
We might know the forgiveness of our sins.
We might know the power and presence of his Holy Spirit in our lives.
And so the lines of the prophets and the Psalms intersect in the person and the work of Christ,
And the events surrounding his crucifixion and his resurrection.
And this meal was given that we might remember his passion.
We might receive grace for our Christian pilgrimage and our journey toward our heavenly home.
And we might resolve to continue following him in the way.
Bread of heaven on you we feed, for your flesh is food indeed.
Ever may our souls be fed with this true and living bread.
Day by day our strength supplied through your life, O Christ who died.
Day by day our strength.
The Old Testament saints looked forward.
We look back to these monumental events.
But we too look forward.
Because as we share in this meal we proclaim his death until he comes.
Day by day when the invitations to that messianic banquet go out.
Day by day when we will take our seats at the feast of Abraham with those of that
a great multitude from every nation.
But gather to rejoice in his presence.
Around his table here we sing the wonders of his love.
And so anticipate by faith the heavenly feast above.
And so we look back in gratitude and we look forward in hope and in faith.
The apostle Paul writing to the church in Corinth shared these words.
But I received from the Lord what I delivered to you.
But the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread.
Given thanks he broke it and said, this is my body which is for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.
In the same way also he took the cup after supper saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.
Twenty-second psalm quoted by our Lord on the cross.
And the psalm occurs in different places in our Bibles and in Hebrews chapter 2 we arrive at the great description of the Lord's incarnation and his atoning death.
In that chapter we are told that Christ, the founder of our salvation, the one who will bring many sons to glory, was made perfect through suffering.
And though made perfect, he is not ashamed to call us his brothers.
Though the very Son of God who was made lower than the angels for a season, he was made like his brothers in order that he might save us.
Delivering us from our enemy, the devil.
Delivering us from our last enemy, the darkness of death.
Delivering us from our last enemy, the devil.
And offering himself as a once for all sacrifice for our sin.
That we might be forgiven.
We might know freedom and fullness of life in him.
He is our great high priest.
He has made purification for us and is now seated at the right hand of the majesty on high.
He ever lives to intercede for us and to bring us into his glory.
And the writer to the Hebrews reminds us that he will come again.
And he will appear.
And Christ shall come with shout of acclamation.
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
He will appear not to bear sin, but to bring salvation.
And in the meantime, he calls us to look back to remember him.
And what he has done for each of us.
He calls us to look forward in hope and faith of when he will appear.
And he calls us now to walk with him.
To trust him.
He will walk with him.
And you will know how deep, how high, how wide his love can flow.
He calls us to walk with him through this broken world into which we are now sent.
To share with others the good news of his gospel.
And to show to others the grace of our Lord.
He calls us to work for him.
The letter ends by speaking of the God of peace.
Equipping us with everything good that we may do his will.
The same God who brought back from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the eternal covenant.
So we are to walk with Christ.
We are to work for him wherever we find ourselves in our daily lives.
And we are to wait for him.
Wait for his glorious appearing.
To his return in glory.
To wait for him if we are passing through the dark night of our soul.
To wait for him if trouble is near.
And to trust that he will deliver us through that.
That morning light will break into the darkness.
That one day the morning star will rise in our hearts and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
And all tears will be wiped from our faces.
So we are to wait.
And if I may just address any who have not yet trusted themselves to the Lord Jesus Christ.
We might want to say that please don't wait.
Today can be the day of salvation.
Today can be the day that you come to him.
And find the forgiveness of your sins.
Find freedom from habits and behaviors that have enslaved you.
Find fullness of life and life in the power of the Holy Spirit.
So while we wait for Christ, don't wait to be right with him.
To welcome him as he welcomes any and all who come to him.
For he is the friend of sinners and tax collectors.
He is the righteous one who went to the cross for the unrighteous.
The sinless one who became sin.
That we might become the righteousness of God.
So we wait for Christ.
But don't wait to get right with him.
And to trust him as your Lord and your Savior.
Walk now with him.
That way is light.
All other pathways end in night.
Walk still with him.
That way is rest.
All other pathways are unblessed.
Let us walk with the Lord.
Let us work for the Lord as we wait for the Lord.
And let us pray once more together now.
Heavenly Father, we give you our praise and thanks that you have conferred on us so great a benefit.
As to bring us into communion with your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thank you that he was willing to be delivered up to death for us.
And has now given us food and drink to eternal life.
Grant us grace that we would never be unmindful of these things.
That we might carry them around engraven in our hearts.
And that we might advance in love.
And grow in faith.
And be rich in good works.
Lord, might the rest of our days, whether many or few, be ordered and followed to your glory.
And for the good of the world around us.
And we pray this through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Who with you, the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns in the unity of the Godhead.
World without end.
Amen.
Well, his name shall indeed endure.
And we want to close our time by singing from the Scottish Psalter, Psalm 72, verses 17 to 19.
Psalm 72, found on page 314.
His name shall forever endure.
Last, like the sun it shall.
Men shall be blessed in him.
And blessed all nations shall him call them.
Job is with us.
Amen.
Yes.
Amen.
Thank you.
Amen.
To will, among others shall you consider it.
Just like the sun it shall.
Men shall be blessed
Still firm and blessed all nations shall involve.
Now blessed be the Lord our God, the God of Israel.
For he alone doth wondrous works in glory that excel.
And blessed be his glorious name to all eternity.
The whole earth let its glory fill.
Amen.
So let it be.
Immediately after the service we shall go to the main door.
And I look forward to greeting you there.
But as we close our time together we do so with a word of blessing.
Amen.
Thank you.
Amen.