Cross

Psalm 22 before Psalm 23

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"My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?" Psalm 22:1a

Most people would agree that the most comforting Psalm in the Bible is the twenty-third Psalm, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures.” Is a verse many of us have memorized. It is stitched on pillows, hung on walls and inscribed on the flyleaf of many a Bible. But before Psalm twenty-three, comes Psalm twenty-two, which begins with the terrible cry, “My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me? The suffering of the psalmist is only second to his lack of understanding of why God could allow this to happen to him, and that cry is the one Jesus spoke while in the agony of death He struggled to breath on the cross. This, of all the things that Jesus said has always been the most puzzling to me. I know how terribly He suffered, and that the pain and agony of His crucifixion was more than I could ever bear. But as God’s Son, how could He ever think that He was abandoned? He knew what He was getting into from the moment of his birth, from the instant He was acclaimed by John the Baptist to be the Lamb of God, who had come to take away the sins of the world. But the sin was so heavy; it was heavier than even He fully understood until in HIs final moments. That is when He cried out with that terrible question, “Why have you…. You my God…forsaken me?” The answer is almost more puzzling than the question: He was abandoned for me and for you. Abandoned on the cross for a guilty thief, a centurion who had given the orders to drive nails through His feet and for disciples who had run away at HIs arrest. Crushed under the heaviness of the sins of the world He cried out, but then we must remember that there is more to the Psalm than its opening line. Those words were also a signpost that pointed to the last words,

"They shall come and declare His righteousness to a people yet unborn. that He has done it." 
Psalm 22:31

And then, after the closing of the door on the suffering of Jesus in Psalm twenty-two, the doorway opens for us to the comforts of Psalm Twenty-three. There, our suffering Savior, becomes our Good Shepherd. There, He leads us into green pastures, righteous paths and through even the valley of death to a banqueting table and the Father’s house where we will live forever! I pray that as you consider the depth of the suffering of Jesus for the gift He offers of forgiveness and eternal life that you will spend time with Him today worshipping and surrendering yourself to Him.

This is probably the most important message which I have shared this year. I encourage you to listen to all of it in this morning’s video and that it may bring you hope and comfort, whatever you are going through right now. May God bless and carry you through both now and always.

All Kinds of Folks at the Cross

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Jesus said, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up His clothes by casting lots. Luke 23:34 ESV

If we were to wind the clock back to that dark day, we would discover that, just like today, there were many different kinds of people huddled around the cross. The loudest, though by no means the largest group were the mockers. These were the high priests, their political cohorts, and the brutal interrogators of Jesus. They beat Him, spit on Him, whipped Him and then sent Him on His way up the hill called “The Skull.” These were delighted to see Jesus ripped from the safety of his circle of followers, and the crowds who loved listening to His teaching. This teacher who had put in jeopardy their grasp on power was now reduced to a mass of welts and wounds and on His way to a humiliating execution.

The second and perhaps largest group around the cross were the ignorers. They passed by in curiosity, perhaps shuddering for a moment, and then went on their way. Though some were a bit more respectable than the drunken soldiers gambling for the clothing of Jesus, they were no more interested in His death than any other event of that day.

But one small group, including the mother of Jesus, a few friends and one disciple, stood watching and seeping while Jesus suffered those six long hours that fateful afternoon. One would imagine that in His suffering Jesus would have responded with indignation, or anger. He had come so far from the day He left Heaven and come to that humble manger in Bethlehem. Since the night of His birth Herod and others had looked for ways to snuff Him. There at the cross they were sure they had finally succeeded, and yet the words from the lips of our Savior were nothing as anyone could imagine. Instead of anger, He had forgiveness, and in place of despair, He gave the promise of paradise to a thief by His side. Though He was wearing the crown of thorns, He was not to be denied the crown of Life He would soon wear in Heaven. Though the soldiers had stripped Him naked and gambled for His earthly clothing, His Father had a robe that shone like the sun, for Him to wear when He came home. And for those who wept He gave the promise that their sorrow would soon be turned to joy. Today Jesus still cries “Father forgive them.” His merciful invitation is for mockers and mourners alike. The forgiveness Jesus offers is for disciples and drunken soldiers, thieves, and trusted friends, and best of all for you and for me. Come to the cross. Open your heart for Him to forgive you and make you His very own!

Washed in the Blood

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But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7 ESV

When I first became a Christian, the old HYMN “Are You washed in the Blood?” was popular in our church. it soon became my favorite because it was lively and easy to sing, and it expressed the joy I had in my newfound life. It is strange to think of blood washing something, because blood stains are some of the hardest to remove. But God doesn’t do things according to our way of thinking. In His plan, the blood of Jesus Christ is the perfect cleansing solution for the sin stains on our hearts. But how does it work? How can the blood of Jesus wash away my sin? Today’s verse explains that we have to begin by walking in the light. In other words, we must be honest with God. We need to come to God without pretending and confess our sins to Him. He knows the truth anyway and sent Jesus to die so that we could be forgiven. Secondly, we learn that when we are honest with God, we can begin to walk with Him. Since God always tells us the truth, if we will tell Him the truth, we begin our new journey with Him. Last of all the Bible tells us that walking with God means more than just trying to keep up with him like a toddler rushing after His parent. It means having fellowship with Jesus Christ. He is the one whose blood washed away our sin because He wanted us as His children and friends forever. Since we have His promise that He wants to have a relationship with Him, what are we waiting for? One year as we drove through rural South Carolina we noticed a sign on a small church with a great question:

“Mosquitoes know there is power in the blood. Do you?”