Would you open your Bible, please, to Psalm 22? We're going to read part of this psalm today. I think it's notable that this psalm immediately precedes the best known, perhaps the best known, the best loved of all the psalms, and one that is known by many people and one that is recited weekly by a lot of folks, the 23rd, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. but right before it is a Psalm 22. And I think it's interesting that the reality is that the 23rd Psalm would not be possible without the 22nd. Unless he was first a suffering Savior, he could never be the sustaining shepherd. And that's what I'd like for us to consider today. If he'd never been forsaken by God, It makes me wonder where we would be if not for the Lord's great sacrifice on Calvary. We sang about it a little bit ago and it's a great theme that Jesus Christ suffered and died for our sins according to the scriptures. And without him we would have no hope. We were in the Sunday school class a few minutes ago And one of the things that I wanted to say but I did not speak was the fact that so many people rely upon ritual. They rely upon the ceremony of their religion. And many times it's just a cultural thing. I heard a preacher say years ago when Iraq was opened up to the gospel after the death of the tyrant who ruled there for many years, And he said most of the Muslim people that he met were Muslims simply because that was their culture. And we find that to be true in a lot of situations across our country even today that people don't think much about what they believe because that's what they've always believed. That's what they've always done. And I sometimes will question folks, well, why do you believe that? Well, I need to go talk to my minister. I need to find out what our church says about such and so and such and this and that and the other. Whereas the best answer is, this is what the Bible says. This is what the word of God says. and God has given us his word, God has given us his truth, and I want us to consider this today, that Jesus Christ suffered and died so that we could have redemption today, and there's a reason for that. Psalm 22 says this. My God, it starts out, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me and from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not in the night season, and am not silent. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in thee, they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee and were delivered. They trusted in thee and were not confounded. But I am a worm and no man, a reproach of men and despise of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn. They shoot out the lip saying, they shake the head saying, he trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him. Let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. But thou art he that took me out of the womb. Thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breast. I was cast upon thee from the womb, thou art my God, from my mother's belly. Be not far from me, for trouble is near, for there is none to help. And we could read, and perhaps we'll read a little further in this psalm. in Psalm 22, we see the suffering Savior. And I want us to note some special things about this Psalm before we get to Psalm 23. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Christ had to suffer and he suffered extremely on our behalf, in our place. Let's pray and we'll begin. Heavenly Father, I pray that you will bless as we approach this important subject today. Thank you for what Jesus Christ has done. to provide for us the means of salvation. A lot of people are trusting in a lot of different things and Father, it's not uncommon for us to imagine that we're good people, that everything will be fine in eternity. But we should think first and foremost of what the word of God teaches us about such things and help us to be responsive to the truth today. Bless as we consider this important subject in Jesus' name I pray, amen. The first thing that I notice is an extreme position. What a place for the Son of God to be in. And I wonder as I was reading this psalm here a few weeks ago again, if David knew that he was speaking prophetically. This is a psalm of David. And many of the Psalms he wrote and he was complaining to God about his lot in life. And usually that is the direction of the Psalm. By the end he's rejoicing because he sees the goodness of God, the grace of God. I just wonder if he was thinking about himself or if he knew he was speaking prophetically when he wrote these great words. And these are words, of course, that Jesus Christ spoke from the cross himself. What a place for the Son of God to be in. And this is a fulfilled prophecy. Hold your place here, because we'll get back, but I'd like for you to go with me to Mark chapter 15. Mark chapter 15, here the Bible speaks and states that this is a prophecy that was given in the scriptures. In Mark chapter 15, verse 34, the Bible says, and at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani, which being interpreted is my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? He was speaking in the Hebrew tongue, just as David wrote in Hebrew, and he said these same words I think it's interesting that Christ used the same word, my God, my God. The Bible says in John chapter one that he is God. He created all things. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. And yet he's praying to the Father and he says, why have you forsaken me? And so we see that this is an extreme position for the Son of God to be in. Jesus Christ was the mighty one, and that's what that word means, El, the mighty one. And yet he humbled himself. In Philippians chapter two, Philippians chapter two, the Bible says that Christ humbled himself and became, as it were, a servant. He was made in the fashion of man. In Philippians chapter two, verse five and following, the Bible says this. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death. Even the death of the cross and this is that's what Psalm 22 is all about Here the Lord is moaning asking why he can't seem to feel the divine presence He was God and he is God and yet and yet he's saying he's crying out to the father Why have you forsaken me? and this is an extreme position for God the Son to be in and and we'll examine this further as we go through the text. Notice the second thing is the fact that this was an eternal plan. The Bible says in Isaiah chapter 53 verse 10, it pleased the Lord to bruise him. It pleased God to bruise his own son. How can that be? How can that be that this was pleasing to God? How many of us would be willing to lay down the life of our son for others, those who hated and despised and rejected him? And we'd say, I would never do such a thing. I would never be able to do that. But here the Lord himself, God himself, presented an eternal plan. The Bible says over and over again that this was ordained from the foundation of the world. And the Bible uses that terminology, the foundation of the world, 10 times in the New Testament. It underscores the infinite wisdom and mercy of God, that God sent his own son. I saw a card just the other day pulled into an establishment, and the license plate said John 3 16. I told the gentleman I appreciate his license address, his license number. identification of John 3, 16. The Bible says, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. God sent his son to be the savior. And no matter how good a person is, no matter how many times, I remember hearing a preacher say years ago, you can be baptized until the frogs know your social security number. but that won't get you any closer to heaven. No matter whether a person has undergone the sacraments of their particular church or whether they have tried to be a good person or tried to do good works, it avails nothing if they do not have Jesus Christ as their own personal savior. Because we are sinners, we're in need of salvation and Jesus Christ alone provides that great salvation. And so we have this truth in the word of God Jesus Christ had to be forsaken of the Father. He experienced this extreme position and it was an eternal plan. Look at Matthew chapter 13, Matthew chapter 13 verse 35. Here the Bible says in Matthew chapter 13 that this was something that God planned way back from the foundation of the earth. Matthew 13, 35, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables. I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world. And here, of course, Christ is speaking concerning the truth of the gospel, and in Matthew chapter 25, verse 34, this phrase is found again. Matthew 25, 34, the Bible says, then shall the king say unto them on his right hand, come ye blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. And the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ was a lamb slain, as it were, from the foundation of the earth. from the foundation of the world, from before eternity passed, from before time began to be measured, God had already planned for man's redemption because God already knew that man would need a Redeemer. God already knew that we would be sinners. It didn't take Him by surprise. You know, nothing ever takes God by surprise. Somebody said, and I think it's true, did it ever occur to you that nothing has ever occurred to God? He knew what would be necessary. He knew what would be needed for our redemption. And oops is not part of his vocabulary. Nothing surprises God and he doesn't make any mistakes. What a great thing to rest upon his promises and his word. Because he always knows, God knows what's right. We don't have to gamble. We don't have to worry about whether things are going to turn out or not. And that's one of the great provisions that God makes in salvation is peace. That a person can have perfect peace because their mind is stayed on him because they trust in him. And those of you who know Jesus Christ as Savior can say amen to that because the peace of God passes all understanding. Because God is never taken by surprise by any situation. We can worry, we can fret if we choose to, but we don't have to if we know the Lord because we're in his hand and God does all things well. What a blessing. And he had plans from the foundation of the earth. First Peter, chapter one, verse 16 says, because it is written, be ye holy, for I am holy. Verse 17, First Peter 1, 17. If ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear. For as much as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, the Bible says. as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you." God planned this means of redemption from eternity past, and it's the only way that we have to get to God. I've heard people express the conviction or the belief system in the past that, you know, we're all out here on a wheel and there are a lot of spokes to get to the hub, which is heaven. The Bible says there's only one way to get to heaven, there's only one way to see God, and that's through the Lord Jesus Christ, through his provision for our sins. We are sinners and we are displeasing to a holy God. and the God that we worshiped here this morning, the holy God of eternity. How great thou art, amen? Hallelujah. He is the one who is worthy of our praise and our honor and our glory. And there's only one way to please him and that is through coming to God through his son, Jesus Christ. Revelation chapter, Revelation chapter 13 verse eight says this, Revelation 13, eight. and all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him whose names are not written in the book of life of the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Those who worship the Lord are those who are saved and those who do not worship him are not saved people. They don't acknowledge that he is the only savior. This is a plan that God has made from eternity past, and God knew there had to be a sacrifice for sin, and so he sent his son to die in our place. And through faith in his blood, through repentance from our sins, we can be forgiven. and we can be saved today. And no amount of church tradition, no amount of sincerity will equal any of that. Jesus Christ came and he gave his life so that we might have salvation. I'd like to go back to Psalm 22 and see an exceptional passion. This was the first time in eternity that the son was ever cut off and separated from the father and we read many times in the Bible that the father is co-equal with the son and they existed in perfect harmony and fellowship from eternity past the first time that God had ever been separated from God and Jesus stated and we read the fulfillment of the prophecy And that's what this is, it's a prophecy. Psalm 22, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me and from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not, and in the night season am not silent. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in thee, they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee and were delivered. They trusted in thee and were not confounded. But I am a worm and no man, a reproach of men, and despise of the people. Do you know that this is the only time that God has ever forsaken those who trusted in him? It's the only time. And nobody can say, oh, I trusted in the Lord, but he forsook me. This is the only exception to that rule. where somebody who at once had believed in God, had trusted in the Lord, could accurately say, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? The Bible teaches that he will never leave or forsake his own. And so Jesus Christ experienced a deep exception to this great promise that God has made so that we could be saved. Friend, if you're here today and you do not know Christ as your own personal Savior, you're trusting in religion, you're trusting in sacraments, you're trusting in your good works, you're trusting in something else to get you to heaven. May I remind you of the fact that when Jesus said, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? He was the exception to the rule. I've told our people many times that if you are a child of God, if you're a saved person, you'll never ever stand before God as your judge. Amen. Amen. We stand before God as our father. Amen. Amen. Good brother. And what a blessing it is to have God as our father. Amen. And the son of all people. Of all people, cry out to God, why have you forsaken me? And you know what he knew? He knew it was because of your sin and because of my sin. Because Christ was bearing in his own body our own sin, our sin on the cross. Look at 2 Corinthians chapter five. The Bible says he became sin for us. He who knew no sin so that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him, in Christ. The only time that God has ever forsaken anybody who trusted Him, who loved Him, who came to Him, who worshiped Him, is in the person of his own son. In 2 Corinthians chapter five, the Bible says, In verse 17, therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation. In other words, In other words, this is something that others need to hear about as well. And God has given to us the ministry of reconciliation. Verse 9, 19 says, to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, unto them. and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's name, be you reconciled to God, for he hath made him, the father made the son, to be sin for us. He who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. And so here is an exceptional passion that Jesus Christ was cut off from his own father. And he knew what this was all about. When he asked the question, why have you, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? He knew. You know, the agony that Christ experienced in Gethsemane, where he sweat as it were great drops of blood, I don't think he was dreading the pain, the suffering, the physical torment of crucifixion. I think what he was dreading was being, being separated from his father, bearing our sin. That's what he was anticipating. That's what he was dreading, the thought of becoming sin on our behalf. And he said, if there's any other way, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. And you understand that from reading about the Gethsemane experience that Jesus Christ had before he went to Calvary's cross. If it be possible, if there's any other way, let's do it that way. If there's any other way for me to become the savior of mankind to those who will trust me and believe on me, who will seek forgiveness, let's do it any other way. Nevertheless, not my will, but thy will be done. And I think Christ knew. Recall, recall that Jesus Christ experienced a relationship with humanity that's never been experienced before. We call it the hypostatic union, the unifying of divine nature with human nature. And I think it was perhaps in that union that Christ was crying out in the Garden of Gethsemane, the humanity of him said, if there's any other way. The divine side knew there was no other way. But Christ dreaded this separation. Christ dreaded becoming sin for us, but he was willing to do that. He was willing to go there and become sin on our behalf. One great question is, for those who are trusting something else for salvation, and the Apostle Paul phrased it in Galatians chapter two. Christ is dead in vain if I can work to produce righteousness. If I can be a good enough person, if I can do this, if I can follow the urgings, the commands, the dictates of a particular religious organization and be saved without Christ, then Christ died for nothing. He went to Calvary for no purpose at all. But he didn't. And he became the firstfruits of them that slept because he went to Calvary's cross. He purchased salvation, eternal salvation for those who trust him, who repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. There is an exceptional passion here in Ephesians chapter 1, verse 7. And Colossians 1, verse 14, both state the same thing. In fact, these two verses are identical. Ephesians 1, 7 says, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace. And Colossians 1, verse 14 says, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. And so the forgiveness of sins, the redemption that Jesus Christ purchased on our behalf is the only way for us to be saved. Jesus Christ suffered rejection by the Father, so you and I wouldn't have to. He was forsaken by God. One of the great promises of the word of God is that God will never leave or forsake his own. and Christ was forsaken, so we wouldn't have to be. And this spells out a number of doctrinal positions that are further explained in the word of God, that once a person is saved, he is saved forever. God will never forsake his own. He will never turn his back on his child. He did that. He forsook his own son once, but he'll never. If you're a child of God here today, he'll never forsake you. He did that once, but that's all. That's all the only time. I see as well the entire pardon Jesus Christ suffered the mockery, the rejection of men. He suffered the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy so that he could totally pay for our sins. Look at Isaiah chapter 53 with me. And this has always been a mystery to me. In Isaiah chapter 53. The Bible says in Isaiah chapter 53, verse 11. The Bible says in Isaiah 53, 11, he shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many for he shall bear their iniquities. And earlier in this same chapter, this prophetic chapter about the death of Christ, the Bible says he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, and God sees and saw the suffering of his soul, the travail of his soul. The Bible says he's satisfied. His death. is a satisfactory death. His death meets all the righteous demands of a holy God against my sin. Do you know if we had to pay for our sin? If we had to pay for our own sin. If we had to pay for our own violation of God's laws. If we had to pay for our own cursing, our own violence, our own bitterness, our own anger, our own hatred, our own maliciousness, our own pride, if we had to pay for all of that ourselves. We'd have to spend eternity in the lake of fire. What a blessing. What a blessing that we can have forgiveness and salvation. Through the death of his son. And Christ is the eternal provision that God has made for sin. Religion always adds something. But it's all about Christ, it's only about Christ. He shall be satisfied. The holy God of eternity could not be satisfied with any provision but a complete provision. And the Bible says, asks a question, I was reading again yesterday in Hebrews, Hebrews chapter two verse three says, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? There is no escape. If we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him, if we neglect that salvation, There's no escape for us. There's no deliverance for us. We have brushed by, we have gone on by the only means that God has given for our deliverance. I think it's interesting. First Corinthians chapter 10 verse 13 says, there has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man. In other words, we all are subject to the same temptations. But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted, above that you are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that you may be able to bear it. And what that passage of scripture teaches the believer is that there is a way for us to escape the temptations. Oh, I am sometimes confronted by temptations that I just can't escape. That's not true. The Bible, God is true. The Bible says, let God be true and every man a liar. God gives us the opportunity to escape our temptations. And I'm thinking about the fact that the opportunity to escape a temptation is at the very beginning, when that temptation first rears its ugly head, we have the opportunity to say, no, I'm not gonna go there. And so often, people just breeze on by, they just blow on past, and they end up falling and being destroyed by the temptation that they embrace themselves. And people can do the same thing with the gospel of Christ. They can hear the truth, they can hear the gospel, and they can say, oh, I think I'm good enough, I think I can do this myself. And they just blow right on past God's provision. and the Spirit of God convicted them and offered them the great salvation that they could have experienced but they don't because they don't take it seriously. They don't realize this is God's only planned way or else it's too painful. It's too painful. I don't want to face rejection by my family members. I don't want to face rejection by those that I have known and loved. And so their false views become a cultural issue and become something that they're related to, or someone that they're related to, rather than what their actual belief system is based upon. And the Bible teaches us that Jesus Christ is the only way He loves us so much that he gave us his own son. Look at Romans chapter eight, and this is a passage of scripture that's been a great blessing to me many times over the years. Romans chapter eight, and you know verse 28, we know that all things work together for good to them that love God. Farther in that passage of scripture, we read verse 31, which says, what shall we then say to these things if God be for us? Who can be against us? He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? A number of great questions here, and the answer is God that justifies, so justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. And so the question, Who can lay anything to the charge of God's elect? And if God has given His Son, will He not also freely give us all things? What a difference it is to experience the pardon of God and His promise that He will never leave or forsake. his child and nothing and the rest of this passage of scripture in Romans chapter 8 teaches us that nothing can separate the believer from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Nothing can do that. God will always be faithful. He will always keep his word. He will always be true and you can depend on him. He's unchangeable. The Bible says that God never changes and what a great blessing that He is immutable in that sense, that He will never change. When He gives His word, it's forever. And we can bank on that for all eternity. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I pray for those who are here today who do not know Jesus Christ as personal Savior, who've never committed themselves to the Lord. who've never repented of their sins and changed their mind about their standing with the eternal God through Jesus Christ, your son. Father, thank you that Christ was willing to be forsaken by God so that we could have life. Thank you that he was willing to go to Calvary's cross to pay our sin debt, to become sin for us. even though he knew no sin himself. Father, we're so thankful that he was willing to be forsaken by the Father so that we might live. We praise the Lord today. Father, I pray that you would be pleased with our worship and our thanks and our rejoicing. Thank you that we can claim this passage of scripture. Thank you for all the truth we've read from the word of God today that would help us to be secure and father to believe once and for all. As the Bible says that we're redeemed by God's grace. Thank you for this great salvation. Thank you that Jesus Christ came so that we might have life. Bless as we consider these things. And Father, I pray that you will speak to hearts today and accomplish a great purpose in many lives. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. Pastor.