What Was He Thinking?				Psalm 22

Intro:	I was selected as Player of the Week in Tulsa World.
•	Fall of 1981, my junior year of high school
•	Julie and I met in fall of 1983, married in 85.
•	In her scrap book…. A clipping of that article!
	t/s – what an odd and mysterious coincidence!

David lived almost 1,000 before Jesus died on the cross.  He wrote a psalm --- a song a prayer.  That psalm speak with remarkable specificity about the death of Jesus on the Cross.
•	An odd and mysterious coincidence?
•	Providence… God seeing to it before hand!

Psalm 22 – the Fifth Gospel account of the crucifixion.

Peter declares at Pentecost… messianic Psalm…
	David is dead and buried…. Not about himself.
	Prophet… looked ahead in future…spoke of Christ!

No incident from David’s life can account for the psalm…execution!
Jesus, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Hebrews all declare that this Psalm of David speaks prophetically about Jesus!

Let’s Read Psalm 22 Together Tonight.

It is rather long, so it helps to break it down… Two Parts.

Part One	Praying when you feel forsaken.  (vs. 1 – 21)

•	Cycle A (vs. 1-5)
	How I feel about my circumstances (1-2)
		Forsaken…. Groaning, roaring… distant.
		Note:  Cursed is the one nailed upon a tree.

	What I Know about the LORD (3-5)
		Vs. 3 – YET… You are Holy!
		Repetition of YOU… Holy…highest Ground
•	Cycle B (vs. 6-11)
		How I Feel about my circumstances/Experience (6-8)
			Cf. – Matthew 27 – sticking similarity!

		What I Know about the LORD  (9-11)
			YET – You have always been trustworthy!

•	Cycle C (vs. 12-21)
	How I feel about my circumstances (12-18)
		Enemies surround me like animals!
		“Potsherd” = broken fragment of pottery
		
		Specifics – pierced hands and feet
				Starring at me (naked)
				Dividing up my clothing
				(execution!)

	What I Know about the LORD (19-21)
		BUT, You… a series of personal pleas…
			Be near, help, hear, save…
		Last word is a present tense verb
		You Answer Me!  (proclamation, not plea)

T/S – The turning point…Sudden Dramatic Rescue.
	David celebrate rescue from Death.
	For Jesus, a rescue through Death!

Part Two	An expanding Circle of Celebration & Praise.

Vs. 22-26 	Answered prayer celebrated with a sacrifice and
		A Feast… Give a testimony of Thanks!
		Vs. 22 – cited as Jesus in Hebrews 2:12
		Vs. 26 – Eternal Life reference!

Vs. 27-31	The Psalm has more in mind than a Local Feast
•	All Peoples – Jews/Gentiles; Rich/Poor; Living /Dead!
•	All Times – Now and in the Future (30-31)
Conclusion - Application

1.	A model for praying in difficult circumstances and overwhelming Emotions.

	Express How I feel; Declare what I know.

2.	Evidence that the Cross was God’s Eternal Redemption Plan.

	No fluke, no failure…. Obedience and Deliverance.

3.	A Glimpse into the Mind of Jesus on the Cross.

	We know what was happening to His body….
	What was He thinking??

		He was thinking about Psalm 22

		When did He first read the Psalm?
		By age 12 He had an impressive grasp of the OT.
		When did he first realize… THIS is Me!!

	The Glory of His Embrace of the Cross.
	His Confidence, even in the midst of suffering…

He was thinking about the people, all sorts of people, people in far away places and across many generations, who would come to Him
•	Submit to His Rule and be Blessed
•	Embrace His Deliverance and Rejoice
•	Worship Him and declare His Righteousness!

He was thinking about us!