Psalm 22:27-31

Good morning, everyone. What great singing, what great songs have been picked, and I presume that was you,

but fitting in so well with the psalm that we're going to be looking at this morning.

Can I encourage you to either use the Pew Bible, or if you've brought your own Bible,

or even allow you to use your iPhone, if that's checking the Bible.

And let's read those last few verses of Psalm 22 this morning,

before we delve in to see what it has to say to us.

Today, here, this morning in Edinburgh in Brunsfield.

So Psalm 22, starting from verse 27, where it says,

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord,

and all the families of the nations will bow down before Him.

For dominion belongs to the Lord, and He rules over the nations.

All the rich of the earth will feast and worship.

All who go down to the dust will kneel before Him.

Those who cannot keep themselves alive.

Posterity will serve Him.

Future generations will be told about the Lord.

And they will proclaim His righteousness to a people yet unborn,

for He has done it.

And we'll finish there in verse 31.

And may God bless His Word to us and bring it alive.

Well, as has been said already a few times, it is nearly Easter.

If you don't know how you feel about that, sometimes there can be a slight panic attack,

because you realize with all the visitors you may have,

the people you're hosting, of all the things that still need to happen.

So I'm really pleased about that little booklet that is being promoted.

I'm sorry, Graham, you didn't show them just how little and short it is.

So even if you're not a reader, go and get it.

And use it this week, particularly, to prepare your hearts for Easter itself.

And I hope this morning may help in that as well.

But as we think of Easter, we will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus,

which is the greatest victory in the whole of humankind.

And people, there have been some great victories,

maybe in your memory, in your time.

Just think of any time the Scottish rugby team beat the English.

Or Andy Murray winning Wimbledon the first time.

Very special.

Even still special when he won it the second time.

For me, the biggest victory in my memory is 1988.

Don't know what you were doing then.

Maybe for some of you, that's before your time.

But me being from the Netherlands, that's one of the few times

there was victory when the Dutch soccer team won the Euros in 1988.

Amazing.

When you look back at it, you think,

boy, was that a powerful orange shirt they were wearing.

Those orange shirts date very quickly.

And it's funny, when I think of all the stories that we share in Sunday school

and that I grew up in,

I remember most of my favorite ones are about victories, great victories,

of little David beating giant Goliath.

What about the one where Gideon was asked to go and beat the Midianites with only 300?

Or Elijah, who's on the top of this mountain,

dealing with all these priests who are claiming that Baal is truly God,

and him on his own, with God on his side.

That's this beautiful and wonderful and exciting victory.

And yet any of these people pales, compares to the earth's shattering victory,

that we will be celebrating the victory of all victories,

when death was defeated and Satan lost.

And the powerful thing is, and I'm actually quite intrigued to know that you've been

studying this psalm in detail, taking a couple of verses at a time,

but this psalm, through the inspiration of God's Holy Spirit,

anticipated this amazing victory.

Sometimes it's referred to as the fifth gospel of the crucifixion.

Isn't that amazing?

The fifth gospel account of the crucifixion,

because it gives us so much insight into what happened when Jesus died on the cross.

Can I give a, this is a slight side note,

but can I recommend reading Psalm 22 in connection with 23 and 24?

Because actually all three together answer the question, who is God?

And from Psalm 22, looking at the suffering servant,

we move to the great shepherd,

and then in Psalm 24, to the glorious king.

But even at the end of this psalm,

we already get a flavor of this victory, the victorious king,

which is what we're going to be looking at.

I also couldn't help but think of Psalm 22 as reading a little bit,

like one of the servant songs of Isaiah.

Ian already mentioned it, that the psalm starts with forsakenness,

or being despised.

And a description which is sometimes hard to comprehend,

but the person who's writing this is feeling as if his life is being poured out like water.

And there's this cry for help in verse 19 through 21.

And in the verses we get, I get the privilege, I get the easy verses,

but this is where we see the answer to this call for help in this glorious king.

And so what I would like to look at this morning is, first of all,

the identity of this victorious king.

Secondly, the accomplishment of this king.

And also thirdly then, the right response to this king.

Hopefully that is helpful.

So the identity of this victorious king, the accomplishment,

and then the right response.

So first then, the identity.

Look with me to verse 28,

where verse 28 tells us that kingship or dominion belongs to the Lord.

It may be slightly obvious,

but it tells us that the king that is being described here is the Lord.

Obvious in some ways,

but actually the word used here is very significant.

Now being from the Netherlands, English isn't my first language.

And if I'm very honest, the word Lord, I associate it with some kind of cold title.

Maybe something you see or read in a Jane Austen novel or a Charles Diggins.

Or if you've watched the recent series on the upper chambers of parliament,

I can't help it, and I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings,

but this image of kind of stuffy, wig-wearing,

you know, upper house in parliament with Etonian accents kind of picture.

But the truth is actually nearly the opposite.

Because the word used here is the word Yahweh or Jehovah.

The name that actually wasn't allowed to be spoken.

And so we don't know exactly anymore how it would have been called

and what it would have sounded like.

But if you look up in the Bible dictionary,

it will tell us that actually strictly speaking,

Yahweh is possibly the only real name of the Lord.

There's other titles like Elohim,

but Yahweh is the name that is connected with God being the God of the patriarchs,

of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.

And in contrast to this other word or term Elohim,

Yahweh is actually a proper noun.

It's the name of a person,

although the person is divine.

And as such,

the name Yahweh or Jehovah brings God near.

And we all know that names have associations, don't they?

If I mention the name Delia,

I presume you're not thinking of fishing,

but you're probably thinking of cooking,

if you've ever heard of Delia Smith.

Or if I mention Pele,

you might think of a far country with an amazing football star.

And so names of associations,

we get an image,

we think of certain things,

and the same is meant to happen when we read the word Lord,

or Jehovah,

or Yahweh.

But it gets lost a little bit,

and we can miss all that is there,

right there in front of us,

that the King is the Lord.

Because what associations come with that great name of Yahweh and Jehovah?

Well, for one,

it reminds us that our God is a personal God.

That our God is, on the one hand,

the great Creator.

From Genesis 1, verse 1,

Genesis 1:1

He is the one that,

in the beginning,

spoke,

and the earth came into being,

and gave life its life.

And the creatures and the variety of,

you know,

that we're enjoying again,

now with the spring coming out,

that is the great Creator God.

And yet,

on the one hand,

being the Maker and Creator,

He's also the one that can be known,

that reveals Himself,

who speaks,

who loves,

and who comes close.

He's the God who can be known,

but also who knows us.

So rather than a cold title,

this God is a personal God.

It also ought to remind us

that this God and His name

is a reminder that God is a covenantal God.

Now, I've grown up with that word,

never fully understanding what it meant,

so I shoved it aside for a while,

thinking this is old-fashioned language.

But I've started to appreciate

all that that one term of covenant

actually means and involves.

Simply put,

it says that God is trustworthy,

but it also reminds us that He pursues.

His covenant with us and with His people

was always His initiative,

His idea.

So to think of Yahweh as

not just a personal God,

but also the covenantal God,

reminds us that He is

the God who pursues,

but also commits.

He's the one who leads us,

as well as provides for us.

That this is the God,

the Lord,

the King,

who's faithful,

generous,

patient.

I'm so glad God is patient with me.

And He's also just.

He's the one who said to His people,

You are my people.

I am the God who brought you

out of Egypt.

But it's also the name

that should conjure up

the picture and the image

of the compassionate God.

He's not just one of covenants,

but He's also one who gives,

who's generous,

who longs to transform

and does it.

Who hears,

but also comes,

as well as saves,

which is exactly what

our psalm reminds us of.

He is before us,

He is behind us,

He's above us,

and He's beside us.

He is the God who is our rock

and our refuge.

It's all there

in that one little word.

But if you just read,

Lord,

would you have got that picture?

For this is the King

of this psalm.

This is who the King is.

And all that He does,

He doesn't do begrudgingly,

but He's done it

because He cares.

And He still cares

for each one of us here,

but also each one

of the people out there.

Now, not only is this

the King of this psalm,

when we think of

the special Sunday

that it is today,

of Palm Sunday,

all these characteristics,

all these images

and pictures of God

are manifested in Jesus.

For example,

on Palm Sunday,

when already,

having seen that

on the clip,

we get a little foretaste

of the victorious ruler,

which Matthew interprets

as fulfilling the prophecy,

saying,

See,

your King has come.

So not only is it

God Creator

who is this amazing King,

but we're reminded today

that the fulfillment

is in Jesus.

So Jesus is also that King.

He is God with us.

He is God Emmanuel.

And if there's one thing

that we should take away today,

it's just simply,

Do we know that King?

Do we know that King?

And you know

how you can tell

whether you know Him

or maybe know Him

a little bit?

Just think of how you pray.

I've been challenged this week

to realize that when I pray,

I pray to the God

who Abraham also prayed to.

So when I pray,

I pray to the God

who was there

when Jericho fell.

He's the God

that was there

when Jesus gave His life

and said,

It is finished.

If that is the same God

I speak to

and come to Him

with all that I carry,

the worries and issues,

is He not able

to deal with them

just as much

now, today?

Because He's the personal God,

He's the covenantal God,

and He's the compassionate God

who cares.

But sometimes we know.

But the question is,

do we know

right here

in our heart?

Well, I hope this morning

we may leave

thinking,

Thank you, Lord,

for not only who you are,

but for reminding us

of who you are,

and will you please

help us to know

that wherever we find

ourselves today,

to seek and to know

and to experience

this King,

maybe like never before,

but this King

of all nations.

So there's the identity

of this King.

Let's move on then

to the accomplishments

of this King.

Look with me

to verse 31,

and he had already

referred to it as well,

where the psalm

has a kind of

an awkward ending,

but a most powerful ending.

Because it says simply,

and there's no exclamation mark,

so we don't know exactly

what it would have

sounded like,

but you can just imagine

if this was used

in the congregation,

that people might have

shouted this last verse

saying,

For he has done it.

The message

renders it like this.

It says,

God does what he says.

That's slightly different,

but it's a great reminder

that God is not only able,

but he's also willing,

and that he's faithful

in that what he says

he will do,

he will do.

Now, of course,

we can't just pull it away

from the context

of this psalm.

Looking at the psalm

purely as a psalm,

it's answering the plea

of verse 19 through 20,

Save me.

Save me from death.

Save me from this

God-forsakenness

that I'm experiencing,

and the King does.

The King rescues

and saves.

Isn't that a great

encouragement?

Like I said,

remembering who this God is,

that he's still

the same Jehovah,

still the same Yahweh,

that when we come to him,

we can come to him

with trust.

But we don't just trust

that he hears us,

but we may trust

that he will respond,

and that he will act,

and that he will rescue

and save us

where we are

and where we find ourselves.

And he can,

explains the psalmist,

because his are all dominion

in verse 28.

Now what does that mean,

dominion?

Again, maybe not a word

that we use in everyday language,

but it basically means

that God reigns

over all the nations

seated on his holy throne.

He is the King,

not in a symbolic matter

the way it is

in my country,

in the Netherlands,

but even here,

but very much

that he is the King

who is in control

of all the affairs

of all mankind

and of all nations.

This is God

who is sovereign,

who is all-powerful,

like I said,

who is able.

Sometimes we need

to hear that,

don't we?

Maybe we've seen God

work in our lives,

and we know,

and we've experienced God

being able to answer

our prayers,

and yet somehow

we easily forget,

and when we're in a situation,

maybe not even too dissimilar,

we worry,

and we struggle to trust

that God,

maybe willing this time,

still be able

to come through.

Maybe this psalm

reminds us that he is,

and he's not only able,

but he's also willing,

because in verse 31,

we're reminded that

he reigns with righteousness.

Other parts of the Bible

reminds us that

God is love,

God is light.

In him there's

no darkness at all.

So he doesn't just

rule with justice,

but he rules

with a righteousness

that is graceful

and loving

and compassionate.

And so we find

that the psalmist

experiences this salvation.

It becomes a reality.

Hence his conclusion,

he has done it.

Reminded me of a poem

that a friend of mine wrote.

It's the only poem

I can remember

because it's nice and short.

But this is the poem.

He said,

God is good.

God is good.

God is good.

Enough said.

That's the rendering

I get from this psalm.

Enough said.

He has done it.

It's a reminder,

of course,

of Jesus' own words

on the cross

where he proclaimed

to the world.

It is finished.

That's our God.

That's our King.

That was the psalmist's king,

but for us,

it's not a rescue

from a physical death,

but it's the rescue

from spiritual death,

from our God-forsakenness,

through the forgiveness

of sin.

And so we may know today

that if we cry out,

just like the psalm is,

Lord, save me,

he will,

for he has done it.

I want us to notice here

the assurance

that is captured

by these words.

Because many,

if not all of us,

can struggle at times

with that sense of assurance.

Maybe it's personally,

but it can also be

historically or culturally.

Even the psalmists

were told

forgot about God's ability

and the enemy,

you know,

they were out there

trying to deny God's ability.

I mean,

there's plenty of people

out there

who will help the enemy

just like the psalmist then.

God is not able.

But what do we do

in our lives

when the kingdom of God

feels far away,

when we maybe wrestle

with that same state of distress

that the psalmist

was experiencing?

When we're looking around

and we think,

you know,

I've got these invitations,

but nobody ever responds.

It seems the gospel

has lost so much

of its ground

and so much of its power.

We haven't seen much growth

in the church here.

What's the point?

Both this psalm

as well as Easter

remind us

that our God reigns,

that He is still in control,

hence we must

be people who trust in Him.

Not just know Him,

but to trust in Him.

Don't we sing

Because He Lives,

I Can Face,

tomorrow?

Anybody know that song?

Sorry,

I'm digging back into time.

This is the 70s,

I think, isn't it?

Slightly dated,

but a powerful truth.

And so the question today

is as a church,

but also as individuals,

will we,

anew and afresh,

trust in the Lord?

Maybe even simply

when we go with that invitation

or that booklet

and hand it to somebody

to trust in the Lord,

maybe God has been working

on that person's heart

way before you ever got to

them with the invitation.

Let's move on then

to the last and third point.

The identity of the king,

the accomplishments of the king,

but thirdly then,

what should be the right response?

Well, what you need to do here

is actually look at some of the verbs

and notice the movement.

For example,

in verse 27,

it speaks of remembering.

Sometimes I hate it

how often in the Bible

it speaks of remembering.

Do you know why?

Because it's that reminder

that we as human beings,

I think all of us,

however brainy we are,

we are incredibly forgetful.

Now, it can be anything

as innocent as birthdays,

names,

but it's the greatness of God

we so easily forget

and we need to remember.

So that's where things start

in this response to the king.

Let us just simply remember

and take time to remember.

But that needs to be followed then

by turning.

See that there in verse 27?

Remember and then

turn to the Lord.

And what does that make you think?

Remember and turn.

What's another word

we sometimes use?

Jesus used.

He came to say

that the kingdom of heaven

was at hand,

so therefore repent.

And isn't it interesting

how it slipped in

that repentance is

that thing that happens

just in between

not being a Christian

and being a Christian.

But that's it.

We've repented.

According to Scripture,

actually,

our life should be lives

of repentance,

ongoing repentance.

Just think of your own life.

If I think of my own life,

there's plenty of times

where I've repented,

but somehow

I've managed to wander off again

and I need to keep

turning back to God.

So remembering is followed

by turning.

But then what is it followed by?

It's followed by

bowing down

and kneeling.

What's that an image of?

Worship.

Worship.

I don't know about you.

I'm at Bellevue.

We're not a bowing down

kind of people.

Sometimes somebody dares

to raise a hand,

but we're, you know,

Scottish

and passion comes out,

you know,

in the stadium.

But when it comes to kneeling,

that's just too vulnerable.

It's powerful.

Maybe I find it powerful

because I'm so tall.

When I kneel down,

I do have that real sense

of humility.

And even when I bow my head

and close my eyes,

I do get a stronger sense

that He is God

and I'm not.

And yet I'm allowed

to come into His presence.

But you don't have to use kneeling.

But Jesus kneeled

as you looked at

probably last week

at the Garden of Gethsemane.

He kneeled

out of humility

and submission.

And so we must be people

who do not just remember,

do not just turn,

but then worship

and bow down

and kneel.

But then the most challenging

one is this.

And this is always where,

you know,

it's great up to a point,

isn't it?

A lot of us, I think,

like to worship.

It depends on the song.

Sometimes we think,

oh, those are dreadful songs

today, weren't they?

But we're here in church

and we love to worship.

But here's the challenge.

Because what does

the whole movement

end in?

Proclamation.

I want you to notice there

that there is both

encouragement

but as well

the challenge.

The encouragement

is that there is

that promise

that the word

of God's righteousness

and his victory,

which was to be

fulfilled in Jesus,

was to go out

to the next generation

that wasn't even born yet,

to nations around the world.

And it's happening.

It's been happening.

We've got a visitor

here this morning

who's working in Brussels

and sometimes in Mexico

and he's a reminder

that God is at work

all over the world.

Wonderful.

But we're to be part

of that work.

Do we know that?

We can't just remember

and come and worship

and not go out

and proclaim.

We're part of that.

And I think

the challenge here

is threefold

if you allow me these.

First of all,

I think this whole movement

reminds us that

this is all to be

about the heart,

not the head.

We're not here

to gather

and gain information,

but it's for that information

to sink down

and for our hearts

to be transformed

and moved to worship.

That's the second one,

for it to be transformation

rather than information.

But here's the third one.

All of this

is to lead

to boundaryless,

maybe that's not good English,

but to boundaryless invitation

to share the celebration

so we can be here at church

and celebrate

the victorious king

and of what that might mean

for us personally.

But God asks us

to go out

and share it as well.

See, Psalm 22

was used as liturgy.

I don't think you,

like Belvue,

have a very strong liturgy

in that sense.

We don't have a prayer book

that we use,

but liturgy has

a really helpful element to it.

Because part of liturgy

is actually passing it on

to the next generation.

And just by repeating it,

it's not an emptiness,

but it's because we need

the repetition

for it to start

to sink down.

And so Psalm 22

was used as liturgy

as part of regular worship,

revisit it time and time again

to pass it on

to the next generation.

But not just for our own sake

and for our own worship,

but also to proclaim

these truths

to anyone who would hear,

to the rich and the poor,

to all the families

of all the nations,

transcending any boundary

of time and age

and even the physical.

The Psalm is telling us

this news should reach far.

The partition wall

has come down.

There's no Jew or Greek.

The gospel is for everyone

and anyone to hear.

And I hope next Sunday

is going to be a reflection of that.

Because what God has done

for His suffering servant

will become

and has become

a blessing

to the rich and poor,

Jew and Gentile

and people yet unborn.

the people there

is a big challenge.

I think for all of us.

The same for Bellevue.

But are we?

Are we the people

who go out

after we've worshipped

and remembered

to proclaim,

especially this Easter?

And not just to do that

out of duty,

but in confidence,

knowing the King.

As we've been singing

about the King,

but also having experienced

for ourselves

His rescue.

So let me just sum it up

and then I'll end over to Ian.

People at Easter,

we have something

extraordinary to celebrate.

Somebody in our church

said the controversial thing

that Easter is better

than Christmas

and I have to slightly agree.

I think Easter is

what it's all about.

This unique personal God

dwelt among us.

And the willing and able God

was victorious on the cross

for us over death

and over sin itself.

Psalm 22 encourages

and invites us to remember

to turn,

to bow,

and then to go out

and proclaim.

Let me pray.

Lord, Heavenly Father,

we do thank You

for Your Word.

We thank You

for how it speaks to us

in our lives today

in 2017.

Thank You for how

it encourages us

and reminds us

of the incredible richness

of Your character

and who You've always been

and always will be.

Strengthen our faith

or if we haven't

fully entrusted our heart

to You,

may we do that today.

But first and foremost,

Lord,

we also pray

that You may move

our hearts

so that we will become

those proclaimers

of this righteousness.

So that Easter

is not an inner house party,

but it's shared

and made known

to a world

who has no hope

and needs Your forgiveness

and Your grace.

Oh, Lord,

we pray,

come and fill our hearts

and meet with us

so that we will

live lives

that please and honor You

in all we do.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.