Now let's look at the Psalm that
Brother Randy just read, Psalm 22. As he said, this is commonly
known as the Psalm of the Cross, and you can see that right away. King David, writing by inspiration
of the Holy Spirit, starts out, My God, My God, why hast thou
forsaken me? Now, I've entitled this message
this morning, The Reason for All Seasons. Not the reason for
the season, but the reason for all seasons. This is a summation of the whole
way of salvation by the grace of God through the Lord Jesus
Christ. This is a psalm of Jesus Christ. Now God, the Holy Spirit, used
King David to write it. David was the human instrument.
I often look at it like this. It's just like the men who God
used to write the Bible are just like this pen here when I take
it and sit down to write something. I'm doing the writing, the pen's
just the instrument. And that's the way the men God
used to write these scriptures. They were just the instruments.
I'm not trying to belittle them or their value as sinners saved
by grace and their contributions, their personalities which come
through and all of that. But this is the Word of God. This is the God-inspired, verbally-inspired
scriptures. And so God the Holy Spirit use
King David to write these words, and some of it, as you go through,
if you read the whole Psalm, some of it can apply to David
personally. You think about this statement,
my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Now, some of this
can apply to David, but David himself personally never suffered
the agonies that are described here in Psalm 22. There may be
times, for example, there may have been times, for example,
when David felt forsaken of God, especially when King Saul was
after him, and you know the stories there. But you know what? God
never forsook David. He never forsook David. God never
forsakes his children. The scripture says that. I'll
never leave you, I'll never forsake you. God never forsook David.
But this scripture here is a prophecy, not of David personally, but
of the greater David, you might say. The son of David, who is
Messiah himself, the Lord Jesus Christ. And as this applies to
the blessed savior, God, the son incarnate, as it applies
to Jesus Christ prophetically, We need to understand that this
statement, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Do you
know on the cross of Calvary, God the father did actually forsake
his son. God the son in human flesh. And
why did he do that? He did it for the sins of his
people charged, accounted, imputed to him. Now, to prove that, most
of you know where to go to, it's Matthew chapter 27, which is
Matthew's account of the Lord's suffering on the cross. As you read through the gospels,
you see there were seven things the Lord said on the cross. I
won't go through all of them, but here's one of them beginning
in Matthew 27, look at verse 45. This is the fourth of those
seven sayings. It represents what we might call
the depths of despair of the suffering Savior. But it also
represents the pinnacle of the salvation of his people. And
it says in verse 45, now from the sixth hour, there was darkness
over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour,
Jesus cried with a loud voice saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani. That is to say, my God, my God,
why hast thou forsaken me? Now what he was doing, he was
quoting Psalm 22 in the original language to show forth the fact
that this is a fulfillment of a prophecy that was made a thousand
years before by the Holy Spirit through King David. Now, to show
you how far away man by nature gets from the scriptures, listen,
verse 47. It says, some of them that stood there, when they heard
that, said, this man calleth for Elias. Because he said Eli,
Eli, which means my God, my God. It's the name for God Almighty,
El. Eli, Eli, my God, my God. Some of them said that he was
speaking in another language. But you see, he was just quoting
scripture. He was just showing that this
is a fulfillment of something that was prophesied, promised
before the foundation of the world and prophesied through
King David approximately a thousand years before. This statement,
go back to Psalm 22 now, this statement describes something
that we really cannot fathom in our limited human minds. the
severity of the suffering that our Savior experienced on the
cross. It's truly a mystery, there is
a mystery here. This is the actual, right here,
what's described in this psalm is the actual working out in
time of what God the Father purposed before time in the everlasting
covenant of grace. God chose a people, gave them
to Christ, conditioned all of their salvation on Him, and sent
him into the world to meet those conditions, fulfill every condition,
every requirement, every stipulation. This is the work, and think about
it this way too, from the human point of view, this is the work
of a sinful, depraved, evil human race who's to be blamed and held
accountable for our sins. But it's also ultimately the
work of Almighty God in holiness, justice, mercy, and grace to
save His people from their sins. I think about passages like the
book of Acts chapter 2. Think about this. And this is
an amazing thing when you consider the whole realm of salvation.
And here Peter's preaching at Pentecost. And he says in verse
22 of Acts 22, just listen to this, you men of Israel, hear
these words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you
by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst
of you, as you yourselves also know, him being delivered by
the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. Christ was put upon that
cross by the determinate counsel. What does that mean? That means
by the determination, the wise determination, and foreknowledge. That's the foreordination of
God. And then he says, but that doesn't
let us off the hook. He says, you have taken and by
wicked hands have crucified and slain. And think about Acts chapter
four over here, listen to this. It says in verse 26, the kings
of the earth stood up and the rulers were gathered together
against the Lord and against his Christ. For of a truth against
thy holy child, Jesus. whom thou hast anointed, both
Herod and Pontius Pilate and the Gentiles, the people of Israel
were gathered together. Now, what were they gathered
together to do? To snuff him out of existence. It didn't work. And he says in verse 28, for
to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before
to be done, the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. How
do you explain that? Well, we don't have to. That's
not our business. But here we see the Lord of glory,
the God of this universe, the creator of this world, the redeemer
of his people, crying out unto his father in Psalm 22, my God,
my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Look, it says in verse one,
why art thou so far from helping me, from saving me? And from
the words of my Lord, he could not save himself. Others he saved,
but he could not save himself. Truer words were never spoken.
Why couldn't he save himself? Well, he said for this hour he
came into this world. John 12, 27, let me just read
it to you. He says, now is my soul troubled,
and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour,
but for this cause came I into this hour. Why did Christ come
into the world? For this hour right here. The Bible says it pleased the
Lord to bruise him. This is why he was born of woman.
The scripture says that in the fullness of the time God sent
forth his son made of a woman. He was born of the virgin Mary.
People are talking about that today, this season as they say. And it's true. He wasn't born of man, sinful
man like you and I were. We're born fallen creatures.
We fell in Adam, we're born dead in trespasses and sins. ruined
by the fall. But he wasn't born that way.
He was conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary by the Holy
Spirit. He is the incarnation, God in
human flesh. That's who he is, God-man. It's
an amazing thing. But this is why he was born of
woman. He was made under the law, the
scripture says. That means all of the salvation
of his people was placed upon his shoulders. My salvation is
not upon my shoulders. If it were, it would fail. Your
salvation is not upon your shoulders. If it is, it'll fail. You say,
well, you don't even know me. Well, I know what the word of
God says about you. Because it says the same thing
about me. It says there's none righteous.
That's me, that's you. It says, there's none that doeth
good. That's me, that's you. It says, by deeds of law shall
no flesh be justified in his sight. That's me, that's you.
You're not the exception to that rule. We're born dead and trespasses,
we're sinners and cannot save ourselves. We don't have righteousness,
we can't work righteousness, and we don't want it God's way,
we want it our way. A way that exalts the flesh.
A way that makes me look good. A way that draws attention to
me. that he was made of a woman.
He was made under the law to do what? To redeem them that
were under the law, to pay the price. And what was the price? It was his death on the cross.
The soul that sinneth must surely die. He wasn't a sinner. He was
never made a sinner. But the sins of his people, God's
elect, his church, were charged to him, accounted to him. He
took our debt. He became accountable and responsible
for our debt. Well, my God, my God, why hast
thou forsaken me? This is the bloody death of the
sinless substitute, bearing the sins of his people in his own
body on the tree. This is the working out in time
of righteousness. That's what's required. What
is required to save me? What is required to save you?
Righteousness, perfect satisfaction to God's law and justice. Well,
here it is being worked out. My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me? This is the working out in time
of righteousness that was charged to God's people in Christ our
surety before the world began. This is the moment that all Old
Testament believers look to for their salvation, their hope,
their assurance, their motivation. This is the creation of spiritual
eternal life for the church, the new creation in Christ who
is our life. This is the ground of our faith
and our preservation under glory. Look, jump over to the last two
verses of this song. It says, a seed shall serve him.
You know who that seed is? That's his children. That's his
generation, he calls it. It shall be accounted unto the
Lord for a generation. You know what he's talking about
there? Those are the ones who were generated out of his death.
As he was made sin, Christ who knew no sin, for us that we might
be or become the righteousness of God in him. He says in verse 31, they shall
come and shall declare what? His righteousness. Now notice
what it says they will declare. This is a believer now. One who,
are you a Christian? Well, everybody is, aren't they?
No. What is a Christian? I've been
working on a book on that. What is a Christian? Well, here it is. They declare
His righteousness. Now let me tell you what they
don't declare. They don't declare what happened to them when they
were 12 when they walked in and got baptized. They don't declare their dreams,
their experiences, their works. They declare His righteousness. How do you know you're saved? Well, the salvation that is assured
comes because of who the Savior is and what He did, not what
you did or I did. You say, well, you must believe.
Oh yeah, you must believe that he is your savior. You must believe
that he is your righteousness. That's the key. Glory to God in the highest,
the angel said. What does that mean? That means
that in this person, the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, The one
born of woman is the highest manifestation of God's glory
ever to be found in time and eternity in Him. This Christ
here is made sin for us. Christ who knew no sin that we
might be made the righteousness of God in Him. And we cannot
understand all the workings of this great event in time. This
is the greatest event in all time and eternity. But we know
why it happened. We know why God the Father forsook
him. It was because of our sins imputed
to him. The sins of his people. Look
at verse two, he says, oh my God, I cry in the daytime, but
thou hear us not, and in the night season, and I'm not silent.
He cried out, but he says, now here's why, here's why the Father
forsook him. Turned his back on him, we might
say, in metaphorical language. But thou art holy, because God's
holy and He's holier, He's of pure eyes that He cannot look
upon sin. And our sins, the sins of the
church, the sins of God's people were charged to Him, accounted
to Him. God's holy. O thou that inhabitest the praises
of Israel. You see, God must punish all
sin where sin is charged. Even when it's charged to His
holy, harmless, undefiled Son, who's separate from sin. Here's
the sinless Savior hanging on the cross. And how real, how
real are the sins of His people charged to Him? Well, God the
Father forsook Him. This is Christ paying the wages
of sin for His people. His name shall be called Jesus,
for He shall save His people from their sins. And this is
not only the reason for the season, but it's the reason for all seasons.
You know, this right here is why the world exists right now. I wanna show you something. Look
down, he says in verse four, he says, our fathers trusted
in thee, they trusted, thou didst deliver them. Who are the fathers
there? It's Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, God's
children in the Old Testament. They looked to Christ, every
one of them. No one was saved in the Old Testament
without looking forward to Christ who would come to establish righteousness
for them, to die for their sins. Christ in John eight, he told
the Pharisees that. He said, Abraham rejoiced to
see my day and he sought and he was glad. Verse five, they
cried unto thee and were delivered. They trusted in thee and were
not confounded. They looked to the Lord. But
look at verse six. It's not a pleasant thing to
go to a church service on Sunday morning and start talking about
worms, is it? But listen to what he says. He
says, but I am a worm and no man, a reproach of men and despised
of the people. That describes the Savior. That
describes the Lord of glory. God was faithful to deliver him
under his justice and his power. He says of himself, but I am
a worm and no man, a reproach of men and despised of the people.
That's the Lord of glory saying that. That word worm is an interesting
word. It's the toloth in the Hebrew. It means the crimson or the scarlet
worm. In fact, it's the same word.
Remember Isaiah 1 and verse 18, though your sins be as scarlet,
Though they be red like crimson, that's the same word, scarlet. It was a worm that they used,
they gathered them together and crushed them and got the crimson
color to be used in the high priest garments that were colored
that color. And it was a symbol of the substitutionary
death of Christ. There's another word worm that's
used in the scripture, it's a maggot. That's what we are by nature.
Did I insult anybody? In fact, let me show you a passage
of scripture. Turn back to Job 25. I'll show you a passage where
both words are used for the word worm. It's just an interesting
footnote. But I want you to look at what
context it's used in. Job 25, one of Job's friends,
Name was Bildad. He used both words. The word
worm, which is rima, which means a maggot, and the word worm,
which is toloth, which means this crimson worm. And he says
in verse five, well, let's look at verse four, Job 25. He says,
how then can man be justified with God? How can sinful man, sinful unrighteous man, be justified
with God. How can I be declared not guilty?
How can I be declared righteous before God? Now, I'm not talking
about before men. It's with God. See, this is dealing
with God. You know, men may look at you
and say, well, you look pretty good to me. You're a pretty good
father, a pretty good woman. You're doing the best you can.
But that's not the issue here. He asks, how can man be just
with God? And then he says, or how can
he be clean that is born of a woman? Clean in God's sight. You know
what he's talking about, being sinless. Again, being declared
not guilty, being declared righteous. Verse five, behold even to the
moon and it shineth not. Yea, the stars are not pure in
his sight. How much less man that is a worm. That's the word rima, that means
maggot. And the son of man, which is
a worm, that's Tola, that's the crimson worm, that's talking
about Christ. Go back to Psalm 22. Christ said,
but I am a worm and no man, a reproach of men and despised of the people
in verse six. What does that mean? He's the
substitute, he's the sin bearer, he's the sin offering, he's the
redemption, he's the surety, he's the sacrifice. You see, Christ died for the
sins of his people. Verse seven, it says, all they
that see me laugh me to scorn, they shoot out the lip, they
shake the head, saying, he trusted on the Lord that he would deliver
him, let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. You know,
God the Father did deliver Christ, but not until the debt was paid. And you know when he delivered
him? when he raised him from the dead. But not before justice
was satisfied, not before sins were put away, not before the
debt was paid, not before righteousness was established. God must be
just when he justifies. But then look at verse nine.
Now you know what he's talking about here in verses nine and
10? He's talking about his birth. People are talking about his
birth today. They say Jesus is the reason for the season. Well,
they're right. But my point is he's the reason
for all seasons, not just December 25th and surrounding days. Look at what he says. He said,
but thou art he that took me out of the womb. He was born,
he was conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary. without the
aid of man, without sin, that holy thing. You remember the
angel said that? That holy thing, Mary, that's
in your womb. That couldn't have been said
of you even as conception. Couldn't have been said of me.
We're born in sin, the scripture says. Somebody told me one time,
said, I don't like that. I said, I know you don't. But
that doesn't change the fact. I don't like the fact that I
have heart disease, but that doesn't change it. What matters here is what God's
assessment is, what God's judgment is, what God's word says. He says, verse 9, He says, Thou
didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breast. I was
cast upon thee from the womb. His holy humanity depended upon
His deity. Thou art my God from my mother's
belly. That's why He was born. To come
to that point up here in verse 1 where He would say, My God,
My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? That's the reason for the
season and all seasons. This speaks of him as God in
human flesh, his mediatorial submission to the Father for
the purpose of fulfilling all righteousness for his people.
And as I said, that's why this world exists. Why didn't God
snuff out this world after the fall? Why didn't God just destroy
this whole world in the flood? Here's the reason. Here's the
reason for spring, summer, fall, and winter, right here. Not just
one day. And I'll tell you another thing
too, this proves that Christ himself was never contaminated
with the corruption of our sins. He was made sin, he was guilty,
he was cursed, but all for the sins of his people accounted,
charged, imputed to him. He took my debt and he paid that
debt in full. Look at verse 11. He says, be
not far from me, for trouble is near, for there's none to
help. He died, he walked the winepress alone, the scripture
says. There's nobody to help him. His
disciples couldn't help him, they fled. His mother couldn't
help him. The Catholic Church elevates
his mother to deity, makes her a mediator. She couldn't help
him. But here's the point, even his
father could not help him here. He had to die for the sin of
his people. Righteousness had to be established.
Verse 12, many bulls have compassed me, strong bulls of Bashan have
beset me. Now in metaphorical language,
he describes the hatred of mankind toward the suffering Savior. The bulls of Bashan, they're
metaphors for the most noble of society. These were the best
bulls. Even the richest, the most noble,
the princes of this world turned thumbs down on him. They gaped
upon me with their mouths, verse 13, as a ravening and a roaring
lion. And then he says in verse 14,
I'm poured out like water and all my bones are out of my joint.
My heart is like wax, it is melted in the midst of my bowels. This
is all describing his indescribable suffering. My strength, verse
15, is dried up like a pot shirt, like a broken pot. Can't hold
any water. And my tongue cleaveth to my
jaws. Remember he said, I thirst and thou hast brought me into
the dust of death. He had to die. He actually died. For dogs have compassed me, the
assembly of the wicked have enclosed me, they pierced my hands and
my feet. How detailed this is concerning the death of our Savior.
Verse 17, I may tell all my bones, they look and stare upon me,
they part my garments among them and cast lots upon my vesture.
Remember when the soldiers cast lots for his cloak. But be not
thou far from me, O Lord, O my strength, haste thee to help
me. Deliver my soul from the sword, that's the sword of God's
justice, my darling, from the power of the dog. Some commentators
say that he's talking about his own life there. I believe he's
talking about his church, his people, my darling. Power of the dog. Verse 21, save
me from the lion's mouth for thou hast heard me from the horns
of the unicorns. Even using the mythology of man
to describe his suffering. You know what that's talking
about? It speaks of his success. The success of his work of redemption,
he worked out righteousness to secure and demand the salvation
of his people. He didn't die to make you savable
or me savable. He didn't die to make salvation
a mere possibility. He died to save his people from
their sins. He died as a substitute. And here's the fact of the matter,
because Christ himself was forsaken by God the Father, we for whom
he died cannot be forsaken. Why? Because righteousness demands
eternal life and glory. And we stand before God in his
righteousness, freely imputed and received by faith. We cannot
be forsaken because the Savior was forsaken in our place. We
cannot be forsaken because His promise to never leave us or
forsake us. We cannot be forsaken because
of His abiding and eternal presence with us. And we cannot be forsaken
because of His purpose to make all things work together for
good to them that love God who are the called according to His
purpose. We cannot be forsaken because we cannot be charged
with sin. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? We cannot be forsaken because
we have a righteousness that answers the demands of God's
law and justice that cannot be taken away, that cannot be contaminated,
that cannot be soiled. The imputed righteousness of
Christ. Well, look at the fruit. of his work of redemption. This
is the reason for all seasons. Look at verse 22. He says, I
will declare thy name unto my brethren. That's his sheep. That's
his church. And how does he declare his name?
Through the preaching of the gospel, wherein the righteousness
of God is revealed. In the midst of the congregation,
I will praise thee. Ye that fear the Lord, praise
him, all ye the seed of Jacob. Glorify him and fear him all
ye the seed of Israel You know a lot of times in the Old Testament
You'll see the words Jacob and Israel used in the same verse
to describe the people of God to describe the elect of God
now Why is that because Jacob is the name of our sinfulness
our depravity? Israel is the name of our salvation
by God's grace the word Israel means those who prevail with
God and Well, how does a sinner prevail with God? Through Christ.
So what are we? We're sinners saved by the grace
of God. We're justified sinners. We're
sinners whom God has been merciful to. God be merciful to me, the
sinner. And he says in verse 24, for
he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted.
That's the spiritually afflicted. Neither hath he hid his face
from him, but when he cried unto him, he heard. You remember the
publican. Lord, be merciful to me, the
sinner. My praise shall be of thee and the great congregation.
I will pay my vows before thee, them that fear him. They'll praise
him. The meek shall eat and be satisfied.
They shall praise the Lord that seek him. Your heart shall live
forever. What is the meek? Those are those
who submit to Christ by the power of God. All the ends of the earth
shall remember and turn unto the Lord, and all the kindreds
of the nation shall worship before him. God has a people out of
every tribe, kindred, tongue, and nation. All who plead Christ
are the seed of Abraham. For the kingdom is the Lord's,
and he is the governor among the nations. And they that be
fat upon earth shall eat and worship. The word fat there doesn't
mean the unhealthy fat that we think about. That's a word for
health in the Old Testament. It means you're not starving.
We feed upon Christ, he's the bread of life. They that hunger
and thirst after righteousness, what does the scripture say,
what did the Lord say? They'll be filled. All they that go down
to the dust shall bow before him and none can keep alive his
own soul. He's our life. And then lastly,
a seed shall serve him, his children. It shall be accounted to the
Lord for a generation. They shall come. and shall declare
his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that's born
again by the Spirit. And here's what they say, that
he hath done. He's the one who finished it.
He's the one who completed it. He's the one who got the job
done. He is my all and in all. That's what that means. It's
not on me, it's not on you, it's all on him. And what we do by
the power of the Spirit is the fruit and the result of what
Christ completed and finished for his people. And that's the
reason for all seasons. That's the reason for all of
this. And people, listen, there's nothing
wrong with thanking God for his birth. And to be honest with
you, I don't know what day he was born. I know it wasn't December
25th, but it doesn't matter, does it? Doesn't matter, the
fact is that the word was made flesh and dwelt among us. That's
the issue, not what day. Nothing wrong with celebrating
that, but if you stop there, you miss salvation, you miss
the gospel, you miss the reason, the real reason, for he was born
to die, but not just to die, but to be raised from the dead. Where is he now? He's at the
right hand of the Father, ever living to make intercession for
us, pleading the merits of his blood, his death, his righteousness.
You see, he's not up there now pleading the merits of you or
me. He's not saying, yeah, well, look at him, he's a good guy.
He walked an aisle and gave his heart to Jesus. No, no, he's
pleading his righteousness as the advocate of his people. And
that's the reason for all seasons.