The Cost of the Gospel:

Reading Psalm 22

This morning we concluded the series of sermons on the Law of God, and over the weeks as we looked into each of the ten commandments we were confronted with the fact of sinfulness, of our inability to do anything to change our depraved condition – sinners everyone!

God has not left us ignorant nor unchallenged in our sin, nor has He sought to lessen the seriousness of it, but has declared openly and fully where we stand and the price it is ours to pay as a consequence – some like to point the faults out in others through malice they delight in the pain they inflict , but not God. God like a Father, speaks to sinful nature because he loves us, because He desires our recovery, because he longs to hold us close again.

Some would claim that God does not love, and they would point to the evil that abounds in the world, but that evil is the fruit of man’s sin, No, God loves us and He has revealed that love in the giving of His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die in our stead – Next Sunday this land of ours so richly blessed by God, will hum with the word Easter – children will be excited, families will be gathered together, holidays will be taken – and all because God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son.

Not that many will consider that, for the great majority it will be just another holiday, a day to give out Easter eggs – but for some it will be a time of remembering the Love of God that delivered them from the condemnation of the Law.

This evening I want to look at Psalm 22 – a Psalm that reveals the love of God. When you read this Psalm you confronted with the cross – The Cost of the Gospel is here foretold.

This Psalm was written by David, yet no incident in his life can begin to account for this Psalm. We have here in Psalm 22 the description of an execution, that in itself does not create any difficulty, people were executed in those times, but what does create difficulty for us as we read it, is not so much the execution as the means of execution.

So this Psalm presents the reader with a problem, for it speaks of things that were not done – how then are we to understand it? Acts 2:21-32 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: 23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: 24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. 25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: 26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: 27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. 29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. 30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; 31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. 32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

Did you hear the words of Peter speaking under the guidance of the Holy Spirit? Acts 2:30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

1000 years before the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, God reveals it to us! Here, dear friends, is an account of those last six hours of the Saviour’s life, an account that in its detail cannot be found anywhere else in scripture.

Here in the words of this Psalm is revealed to us something of the cost of sin, here in this psalm is revealed to us a glimpse of the love of God for us – and it is but a glimpse for we are not able to comprehend the height, the breadth, the depth of God’s love for us – but a glimpse and it staggers us.

2 Thess.4:9-10 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Roms.5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Familiar verses to us, how often have we heard them, how often have we read them, how often have we found comfort in them, but how often have we contemplated the depth of their meaning - Christ died for us. Praise God for such a love, for such a gift, for such a redemption!

But we must not overlook the cost of the gift – for in the cost of the gift is the heart of god toward us revealed. Psalm 22 speaks to the cost. Let’s consider it.

We know these words, we have heard them down through the years of our lives, when we went to church with our parents, when we went of our own accord, every year at this season we have heard them. We will have heard several sermons that included them or sought to expound on them - words that speak of a terrible abandonment, that resound with the pain of a sudden separation, of the sundering of never before broken relationship.

Our hearts are moved as we read these words, the grief is palpable, our own emotions are moved – such pain, such loneliness, such agony.

But I want to suggest to you, this evening, that these words should come as a surprise to us – not because The Lord Jesus Christ is not suffering, for He most truly is, but because up to this point he has not uttered one word that flows from His pain.

Not one word was uttered because of his pain as they beat Him, not one word because of his pain was uttered as they mocked Him, Not one word was uttered because of His pain as they hammered the iron spikes through His hands and feet, Not one word was uttered because of His pain as his cross was raised up and His torn hands and feet took the strain for the first time – Not one word!

And as He endured the agony of that slow death for the hours he hung on the cross to this point – not one word was uttered that flowed from the pain he was enduring – Not one word! And then My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

We don't expect Jesus to cry out. – Psalm 22 reveals that the agony of separation from His heavenly Father was greater than the physical pain he was experiencing.

If the cry of the Lord is unexpected then so also is the way it is phrased – No where else in the record of Scripture does the Lord address His heavenly Father as "My God". Something has happened!, something has changed! I am told that often the last word of a dying man is that of ‘mother’, at the point of death his mind goes out to the one who has loved him from birth, I am told that the same is true for wife and husband – that the thoughts of the one dying reach out towards the other whom they have loved.

Surely then when the Lord cried out on the cross, we ought to have heard his thoughts reaching out to the Father who loved Him and whom He loved – surely it should have been – ‘Father . . . ‘ but it wasn’t the familiar word that He had used throughout his earthly life, it could not be for at the moment the relationship was sundered - at that moment that the relationship they had enjoyed from eternity past was clouded, as God the father poured out his wrath upon Jesus as the substitute, the ransom sacrifice for us all.

Look at the Lord’s words again - We don't expect Jesus to cry out in desperation "Why...." But He does, he dies not simply a man, but a representative man, identifying with the entire human race, paying the ransom price for human sin. This cry that rang from His lips, was due to any lapse of faith on his behalf, by no means. For the first time in the eternity of God the eternal relationship within the god head, was shaken – God the Father poured his wrath upon God the Son who now stood in the place of fallen man - The infinite one paying in finite time, the penalty of finite sin for eternity. What is God saying to us in Jesus words?

In the cross of Christ God says to man. "That is where you ought to be. Jesus my Son hangs there in your stead. His tragedy is the tragedy of your life. You are the rebel who should be hanged on the gallows. But lo, I suffer instead of you and because of you, because I love you in spite of what you are. My love for you is so great that I meet you there on the cross. I cannot meet you anywhere else. You must meet me there by identifying yourself with the one on the cross. It is by this identification that I God, can meet you in Him, saying to you as I say to Him, My beloved Son." (Emil Brunner)

The cry of the Lord on the cross speaks of the vicarious suffering for us.

Move on a few verses

Have you ever wondered what it must have been like, to hand upon that cross – here in this Psalm we are given a taste of it and not just a general abstract view of someone who tries to put themselves in that place – no, dear friends – here is a description given to us by the one who was nailed to it in our place -

V6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. 6 – His body so ravaged that He is without strength – a worm. Men look upon Him with no regard, they no longer hold Him in honour – The hosanna’s of their lips have become the sneers of their insults – No man that’s what I am in their eyes. Not a blessing, but a reproach. This is what it was like – veiled in flesh the God head see - He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Is.53:3

What was it like?

It was more horrible than we can ever imagine – these words speak of the awful tortures inflicted upon the body in crucifixion – the joints slowly pulled apart, the heart struggling to beat, the terrible thirst as the body dehydrates, strength departing and all accompanied with excruciating pain – What was it like? I tremble to think and yet for all its physical horror it is as nothing in comparison to the pain of the Spirit when the wrath of almighty God descends upon it – I think God that I shall never have to know such horror as the wrath of God upon myself – for Jesus took it from me!

in the garden of Gethsemane where Jesus went to pray and where they came and arrested Him – He said to Peter and James and John - My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death Matt.26:38 The weight of the curse was crushing down upon him as it had never done before – from the day Jesus had become man he had been the curse bearer, throughout His childhood, throughout the years hidden from us, throughout the days of His public ministry but the awfulness of the curse, and its terrible price were about to burst upon him – my soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death.

Look at this Psalm, dear friends, look at it unbeliever and sceptic – look at it

No less than seven separate aspects of Jesus cruel death are prophesied in these verses.

1. Words of Jesus My God, my God, why have you forsaken me v1

2. Mocking crowd All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide against me. V7; 13

3. Nails of the Cross Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. V16

4. Distorted Body I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me. V14

5. Nakedness I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. V17

6. Thirst My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. V15

7. Gambling for Clothes They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing. V18

We sometimes think of the cross as being high above the watchers, but that wasn’t the case in all probability the feet of the crucified were not more that twelve inches off the ground, certainly never more than twenty – this makes v7, 13 all the more cruel 7. All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, 13. They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.

The crowd of accusers were almost certainly face to face with Jesus when they mocked Him, and insulted Him.

This prophetic Psalm sets out for us the agonies of the cross, we need to know these things, we need to remember these things, lest we allow the sacrifice of the Son of God merely some abstract thought in our minds – there was nothing abstract about the pain He bore for you and me – and there must be nothing abstract in our love of Him.

Dear Friends there is nothing Abstract in what The Lord Jesus Christ accomplished on that Cross!

The Exaltation of the Crucified one

The Psalm does not leave the Lord on the cross, v23-24 Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel. 24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.

V27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.

V30-31 A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. 31 They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

The scene changes, and we see the Messiah in the midst of His people praising God, and witnessing to others, bringing justice and deliverance to the needy. The last words of the Psalm: He hath done this - The last words of Jesus: It is finished

There on the Cross the Lord Jesus Christ speaks the first and last lines of this Psalm – My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me and It is finished.

The heart of the Good news of the Gospel is that Christ's death was sufficient.

The difference between Christianity and all the religions in the world can be summed up by the difference between two words and their tense. "Do" and "Done". Present and past tense. Christianity is not about what we must do, its about what Jesus has done.

Here is a blessing for all people - All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. 28 For the kingdom is the LORD’s: and he is the governor among the nations. 29 All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.

Here is a Blessing for all Time A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. 31 They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

This Psalm with the cry of separation and ends with a word with an announcement of joy and certainty. He has done it