Communion Service - Christ For Us

Well, we begin with some words from Psalm 103, which I'll read, and then we shall sing together.

But the psalmist writes,

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,

who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.

Well, we want to begin by singing together these words, Psalm 103, which can be found on page 135,

the Sing Psalms version, and we'll sing together the first 11 verses of Psalm 103 on page 135.

Praise God, my soul, with all my heart.

Let me exalt his holy name.

Forget not all his benefits,

His grace, my soul, and song proclaims.

The Lord forgives you all your sins,

And heals your sickness and distress,

Your life he rescues from the grave,

And crowns you in his tenderness,

And crowns you in his tenderness.

He satisfies your deep desires,

From his unending source of good,

So that just like the evil strength,

Your youthful vigor is renewed.

The Lord is known for righteous acts,

And justice stood and trodden once,

To Moses he made known his ways,

His mighty deeds to Israel's sons,

His mighty deeds to Israel's sons.

The Lord is merciful and kind,

To anger slow and full of grace,

He will not constantly reprove,

For in his anger hide his face,

He does not punish our misdeeds,

Or kill our sins,

Their just reward,

And great is love that's high as hell

To our tolls who fear the Lord.

Let's now come before God in prayer.

We do want to bless you,

Our awesome and thrice holy God.

We bless you for your glory,

That you are clothed in splendor and majesty.

We bless you for all of your works in creation,

That you have stretched out the heavens like a tent,

And set the earth upon its foundations.

It is you,

Our Father,

Who causes the grass to grow.

It is you who gives to us bread,

To strengthen our hearts.

And we praise you that you are the giver,

Of every good and perfect gift,

Giving to us food,

Clothing,

And shelter,

Enabling us to delight daily,

In your great goodness.

And how we thank you,

Lord,

That your tender care extends,

Not only to our bodies,

But to our spirits,

To our souls.

And that you have met us,

At our deepest point of need.

That in and through our Lord Jesus Christ,

You have forgiven us,

All of our iniquities.

You have redeemed our lives from the pit,

You have set our feet upon a rock,

You have put a new song in our mouths,

And you have promised to us a glorious inheritance,

In the age to come.

Lord,

How we want to sing your praise,

For you are the God merciful and gracious,

Slow to anger,

Rich in steadfast love.

You are our heavenly Father,

Who shows compassion to his children,

For you remember how we are made.

We are grass,

Our lives are as mist,

And yet you are from everlasting to everlasting,

And your love is from everlasting to everlasting,

For those who fear you.

And so as we gather around the table,

This morning as we share in the supper,

Would you remind us of that love?

Would you refresh us with that holy love?

A love that even while we were your enemies,

Sent Christ to die for us.

A love shown that we did not love you,

But you loved us,

And sent him to make atonement for all of our sins.

Lord, as we read your word,

As we share the meal,

Would we be conscious of your grace?

Would you minister to us

That grace?

Satisfy us in the morning with your goodness,

Strengthen our hearts in faith,

And remind us afresh of the hope

That is ours in Christ,

To whom we glory forever and ever,

The hope that one day we shall take our places

Around his heavenly banquet,

And share fellowship with him,

The master of the feast.

And so it is in his name,

And through him we bring to you our prayers,

And we bring to you ourselves.

Amen.

Amen.

Well, it is very good to be here this morning.

Thank you for your invitation,

And it is good to see

A number of

The younger ones with us,

Including our own daughters,

Who are very much enjoying their time

On the island.

And I wonder if you are ever at school,

With your friends,

And they say to you,

What does it mean to be a Christian?

What happens when you go to church?

What does the Bible teach?

And I am sure we have all been in

The situation where,

When asked that question,

Our minds have gone blank,

And perhaps our mouths have dried up,

And we think,

Well, I am not quite sure what to say.

And I have been in that situation many times.

And so I want to give you

A little helpful tool,

That perhaps when somebody asks you that,

You can explain to them

What it means to follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

And the tool is a very simple one,

You have probably got it in your house.

It is a piece of blank paper.

So if your mind goes blank,

You can reach for the blank paper.

And you can say to your friend,

I am just going to show you

What the Christian faith is all about.

And I am going to show you

Some art and craft now.

Okay?

I am no expert.

But if you are good at paper aeroplanes,

What you can do,

Is you can fold the sheet,

Across one way,

Like this.

And then you can fold it across the other way,

So it now looks like a little house.

And then if you fold it in half,

Twice more,

You arrive at this simple shape.

It looks a little bit like a paper aeroplane now.

And then if you have a pair of scissors,

All you do is you cut right down the middle.

I will just tear it,

To demonstrate.

And after that you are left with all these different shaped pieces.

They all sort of fall out in your hands.

Now,

I am no artist,

And so as you used to see in cookery programs,

Here is one I made earlier.

And here is a couple I made earlier.

And if you put all these pieces together,

It only takes a minute or two,

It actually depicts

The scene at the cross.

What is the Christian faith all about?

It is about the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Here is the cross.

Here are the dice.

The soldiers used to gamble for his clothing.

We will think about that later.

Here is the spear that pierced his side.

And if you put all the different pieces together,

You actually have the scene at Calvary.

The two crosses,

The thieves,

One of whom professed faith in the moments before his death.

And so the heart of the gospel,

As Paul reminds us,

Is that Christ died for sins according to the Scriptures.

He was raised to life on the third day according to the Scriptures.

And as such,

He is able to forgive us all of our sins,

Just as we have sung.

And He is able to give us life,

New life,

Lived in the power of His Holy Spirit.

New life that continues forever in glory.

And if you take these pieces,

You can rearrange them to spell the word life.

I don't know if you can read that all the way up at the back.

It's a bit blocky.

But the Christian faith is about the death and resurrection of Christ,

And the new life that He gives us.

To know Him,

To know God as our Father,

To count one another as brothers and sisters,

And to walk with Him in faith,

In hope,

And in love.

So I hope you all get asked that question this week,

And I hope you all have a piece of A4 paper,

In your rucksack,

Or your handbag,

And you'll be able to explain that,

To anyone who asks you for a reason,

For the hope that is in us.

Amen.

Well, we'll pray again,

And this time we're just going to pray together

The words the Lord Himself taught us,

The words of the Lord's Prayer,

Which are printed on the Order of Service,

Just on the second page.

So let's unite our hearts together,

As we say,

With one another,

The words of the Lord's Prayer.

Our Father,

Which art in heaven,

Hallowed be your name,

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done on earth,

As it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors,

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

The power,

And the glory forever.

Amen.

Well, we want to sing again,

At this time the words of the 23rd Psalm,

On page 229,

Of the Scottish Psalter.

A psalm that speaks once more,

Of God's goodness and mercy,

Following us all the days of our lives.

And that we shall sing,

The psalm in its entirety,

Verses 1 to 6,

The Lord's my shepherd,

I'll not want,

He makes me down to lie,

In pastures green,

He leadeth me,

The quiet waters by.

The Lord's my shepherd,

The Lord's my shepherd,

He'll not want,

In exit angel eye,

In pastures twin it hath me

The quiet watershine.

My soul it all restored again,

And me to walk the pain

Within the house of righteousness,

In honest london sing.

Yet though I walk in days dark fill,

Yet will I hear none ill,

For thou art with me,

And thy rod hath soft me come forth still.

My table love has furnished

In presence of my foes,

My death and dust with oil and oil,

And my cup overflowed.

Goodness and mercy all my life

Shall surely follow me,

And in God's eyes forevermore,

My dwelling place shall be.

Amen.

Well I wanted to read with you this morning from,

Not the 23rd Psalm, but the 22nd Psalm,

Which can be found on page 548 of the church Bibles.

And then to spend some time together looking at this text.

Psalm 22 on page 548 of the church Bible.

And it has the heading to the choir master,

According to the doe of the dawn,

A psalm of David.

Let us hear together the word of God.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me,

From the words of my groaning?

O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,

And by night, but I find no rest.

Yet you are holy,

Enthroned on the praises of Israel.

In you our fathers trusted,

They trusted and you delivered them.

To you they cried and were rescued,

In you they trusted and were not put to shame.

But I am a worm,

And not a man,

Scorned by mankind,

And despised by the people.

All who see me mock me,

They make mouths at me,

They wag their heads.

He trusts in the Lord,

Let him deliver him,

Let him rescue him,

For he delights in him.

Yet you are he who took me from the womb.

You made me trust you at my mother's breasts.

On you I was cast from my birth,

And from my mother's womb.

You have been my God.

Be not far from me,

For trouble is near,

And there is none to help.

Many bulls encompass me,

Strong bulls of Bashan surround me,

They open wide their mouths at me,

Like a ravening and roaring lion.

I am poured out like water,

And all my bones are out of joint,

My heart is like wax,

It is melted within my breast.

My strength is dried up like a potsherd,

And my tongue sticks to my jaw,

You lay me in the dust of death.

For dogs encompass me,

A company of evildoers encircles me,

They have pierced my hands and feet,

I can count all my bones,

They stare and gloat over me,

They divide my garments among them,

And for my clothing they cast lots.

But you, O Lord, do not be far off,

O you, my help,

Come quickly to my aid,

Deliver my soul from the sword,

My precious life from the power of the dog,

Save me from the mouth of the lion,

You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen.

I will tell of your name to my brothers,

In the midst of the congregation I will praise you,

You who fear the Lord praise Him,

All you offspring of Jacob glorify Him,

And stand in awe of Him,

All you offspring of Israel.

For He has not despised,

Or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted,

And He has not hidden His face from Him,

But has heard when He cried to Him.

From you comes my praise in the great congregation,

My vows I will perform before those who fear Him,

The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied,

Those who seek Him shall praise the Lord,

May your hearts live forever.

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

And all the families of the nations shall worship before you,

For kingship belongs to the Lord,

And He rules over the nations.

All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship,

Before Him shall bow all who go down to the dust,

Even the one who could not keep himself alive.

Posterity shall serve Him,

It shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation.

They shall come and proclaim His righteousness to a people yet unborn,

That He has done it.

And we thank God for His Word and the Psalm.

Before we study together we want to sing once more,

This time from the Sing Psalms version of Psalm 40,

Which can be found on page 51 of Sing Psalms,

Psalm 40 verse 5 through to verse 10,

Psalms 40:5

The wonders you have done, O Lord,

How many and how great they are.

Your plans for us are far beyond our power to number or declare.

Sing once more to the praise of God.

The wonders you have done, O Lord,

Where wonders you have done, O Lord,

How many and how great they are.

Your plans for us are far beyond our power to number or declare.

Our power to number or declare.

You did not ask that paths or goals,

We brought us sacrifice for sin,

But you have opened up my ears,

You did not seek for top of the day.

Then I declare, O Lord, I have come.

It's written, O Lord, the endless road.

I want to do your will, my God,

Your law is in my heart and soul.

In the assembly when it met,

Your justice I profiled abroad,

I did not seal my lips at all.

You know all this about me, Lord.

I did not hide within my heart,

Your saving grace on righteousness,

In the assembly I proclaim,

Your steadfast love and faithfulness.

you will know

Please do keep your Bible open there to Psalm 22, which we shall look at together and then think about in its context in the New Testament.

I mentioned earlier that I'm very much praying for you over in Kilmally and our Dominican Free Church.

Great to have fellowship and partnership in the gospel with you all.

And in our congregation there, we have been studying together through the book of Psalms.

It's a remarkable book in Scripture.

We can pray the Psalms, we can sing the Psalms, and we can preach the Psalms.

They are a treasure trove for the people of God.

And so we decided we'd study through the Psalms in sequential order, beginning at number one, and at some indeterminate point in the far future, arriving at Psalm 150.

In recent weeks, we've been looking at Psalms 19, 20, and 21.

And so I felt it fitting as we come to the Lord's table this morning to study together Psalm 22.

For the Lord himself quotes the Psalm upon the cross at Calvary.

And we know that the Psalms are often arranged in a particular manner, brought together, perhaps some theme uniting them.

And it's interesting, Psalms 20 and 21, that they speak of somebody who trusts in the Lord in times of trouble and who recognizes his deliverance.

Psalm 20 may have been sung or prayed before the king and his armies went to battle.

A little bit like singing the national anthem.

And it has that great refrain, 20 verse 7,

Some trust in chariots and horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

And with that, the king goes to battle confident that God will deliver and bring salvation.

And Psalm 21 is seen as the counterpart to that Psalm.

It is perhaps the Psalm that was sung when he returned victorious from battle.

And in verse 7 of that Psalm, we read that the king trusts in the Lord, and through the steadfast love of the Lord, he shall not be moved.

The king trusts in the Lord, the Lord saves and delivers him.

And just reading these two Psalms, we might think that would be true in the life of the believer,

that if we trust in the Lord, all we will know is victory and success.

We will pass all our exams.

We will get all the jobs we apply for.

We will hear the words we want to hear in the outpatient clinic.

But when we come to Psalm 22, we realize that life is not so straightforward.

Many times we find that same word, trust.

Verse 5, the Psalmist's fathers trusted in God.

He delivered them.

They trusted in God and were not put to shame.

And yet the Psalmist himself, though he has trusted in God from his earliest years,

now finds himself in trouble.

Verse 11, and he thinks there is none to help, none to hear in his hour of need.

The Psalmist is afflicted by men, verbally, physically.

But worst of all, he feels abandoned by God, that God has forsaken him, that God is far from him.

So we want to look at the Psalm and think about the situation he finds himself in,

but also the solution to his distress.

Now this Psalm, we are mindful, is a very special Psalm.

It is a messianic Psalm.

It looks forward to the one who was to come, great David's greater son.

When the Lord was raised from the tomb,

in Luke's gospel we're told that he met some of the disciples on the road to Emmaus.

And in that very cheerful chapter, he begins to speak with them.

And when he gathers together with his disciples in Luke chapter 24, verse 44,

Luke 24:44

he explains to them that everything written about him in the law of Moses

and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.

And this Psalm 22 is one of the most oft-quoted Psalms in the New Testament,

quoted by the Lord himself in the hour of his death.

And so we want to look at this Psalm,

ask what it teaches us about David's woes,

and then a thousand years later about the Lord's work.

And the Psalm really breaks into two halves.

The first 21 verses are a Psalm of lament,

which we read of the suffering of the Lord's anointed,

the suffering of God's Messiah.

But then Psalm 22, verse 22 to the end,

Psalms 22:22

becomes a Psalm of rejoicing,

a Psalm of celebration,

where we read of a salvation,

this salvation of a great and a global multitude.

So we have suffering,

and then salvation.

The Psalmist is one who trusts in the Lord.

He is one who trusts in the Lord in times of trouble.

So important to keep trusting in times of trouble.

You do not get out of the train when it's stuck in the tunnel.

But although he trusts in the Lord,

he feels forsaken by the Lord.

And there is three times that word far.

Verse 1,

Why are you so far from saving me?

Verse 11,

Be not far from me.

Verse 19,

Be not far off.

Trouble is near.

He's in the day of trial and temptation.

But God seems far off.

Though he prays day and night,

it seems that the phone is off the hook.

And there is none to hear.

And there is none to help.

The Psalmist is an orthodox man.

He knows the theory.

He knows that God delivered his fathers

when they trusted in him.

Yet his experience seems different.

Though in the past,

God has been his help and his trust.

In this darkest day,

in this dark night of the soul,

he feels forsaken by God.

The Psalmist here describes his own experience.

He anticipates the experience of the Lord Jesus Christ.

But that experience might reflect your experience

or my experience today.

Maybe a difficult day.

One writer says,

The Christian life is a bed of roses,

thorns and all.

Thomas Boston wrote,

Sin has turned this world from a paradise into a thicket.

There is no getting through without being scratched.

The Psalm may reflect our experience

if we are facing present trials.

And David's trial seemed to be

that he was verbally and physically

suffering at the hands of others.

Verse 6 tells us that he feels less than human.

He feels like a worm.

He's scorned by mankind.

He's despised by the people.

And he's mocked,

not least because he trusts in God.

One paraphrase has these words,

Everybody pokes fun at me.

They make faces at me.

They shake their heads.

He is an object of scorn and derision,

not least for his trust in God.

So his self-esteem is in his boots.

He feels less than human.

He feels like a worm.

And the language he uses to describe his opponents

suggests they are less than human as well.

They are depicted as wild beasts.

Verse 12,

They're strong bulls.

Verse 13,

They're hungry lions.

Verse 16,

They are like a pack of stray dogs.

Though they are human,

they are behaving like animals.

Their animal instincts are coming through.

So David suffers emotionally.

He's suffering psychologically.

And he's suffering physically.

Verse 14,

He is injured.

His bones are out of joint.

His heart is like wax.

He's lost weight.

He's lost strength.

He's dehydrated.

His tongue is stuck to his mouth.

And they have pierced his hands and his feet.

Verse 18,

His opponents think he's about to die.

And rather cruelly and rather cynically,

they are gambling for his clothes,

dividing up his garments.

He won't need them anymore.

He'll just need a shroud.

And so we'll take his clothes for ourselves.

Very cruel,

very cynical,

very callous men.

Laughing at him.

Mocking him,

waiting for him to die.

And in his distress,

and in his despair,

he cries out

to the one he trusts in.

Do not be far off.

Deliver my soul

from the power of the dog,

from the mouths of lions.

He is one who is suffering terribly

on account of his faith.

Suffering at the hands of men.

Suffering because he feels

that God is far off

in the day of trouble.

Silence in heaven.

And that has been the experience,

hasn't it,

of some Christians

throughout history.

Earlier this year,

I read

the Tartan Pimpernail,

the biography of

Donald Caskey.

It's a great adventure story.

He was the minister in Paris

at the outbreak of World War II,

the minister in the Scotskirk.

And he got involved

with smuggling British soldiers

and airmen out of France

and back to safety

in the UK.

But his activities were discovered

and he was arrested.

He was moved

from prison to prison.

And one time,

he was incarcerated

in what used to be

a delightful villa.

But he was thrown

into the cellar.

He was fed only

bread and water.

He was mistreated

by his guards.

And day and night,

he heard the screaming

of his fellow prisoners.

And he writes,

when in the night,

screaming echoed again,

waking me from a deep sleep.

It overpowered me

with horror.

I shouted for the guard,

but no answer came.

I felt that even God

had deserted us.

My head reeled

and I thought,

this must be hell.

There is no escape.

This horror

will go on forever.

And then the words

of my Savior

came to mind

and I whispered

into the darkness,

my God, my God,

why hast thou forsaken me?

Well, that dark night

of the soul

didn't last long

for Caskey

and his faith

was revived.

He was used of God

in that prison

and elsewhere

and he returned

ultimately to his ministry.

But perhaps you can relate

to the words

of these verses,

the words of this psalmist.

Why is God far off

when trouble is near?

But that is only

half the psalm.

That is only half

the story.

And verse 22,

there's a dramatic change.

There's a gear shift.

There's a key change.

And there is a very

significant turning point.

And the psalmist begins

to speak of the deliverance

which he's either experienced

or looks forward

to experiencing.

when he will get together

with a great congregation

of his brothers

and sisters

and give thanks to God.

And he looks forward

to that day

when the families

of the earth,

when a great multitude

will gather

in worship

from home and abroad.

He looks forward

to what God will do.

He looks forward

to glorifying him

in the midst

of the congregation.

And the reason is,

verse 24,

for the Lord

has not despised

the affliction

of the afflicted.

He has not hidden

his face from him.

Though the psalmist

was despised

and scorned

by these men,

God has not

despised him.

Though they shook

their heads

at him,

God has not

hidden his face

from him.

He cried

to the Lord

and the Lord

hears

and responds

to his cry.

And he looks forward

to celebrating

that deliverance

in the company

of the saints.

The afflicted

shall eat

and be satisfied.

I will praise

your name

among my brothers.

He's anticipating,

I suppose,

a special service

of thanksgiving.

And yesterday,

we went to Carloway

and we were

very pleased

to see all the work

that had happened there

in the renovation project.

And this morning,

this very hour,

they're having

a service of thanksgiving,

a special service

to thank God

for what he's done.

That's what the psalmist

looks forward to,

telling the Lord's name

to his brothers

in the midst

of the congregation.

A special service

of worship

and a worship

that will extend,

verse 27,

to all the ends

of the earth.

All the families

of the nations

will worship

the king

who rules over

the nations.

That day

when the promise

made to Abraham

will be fulfilled,

where the whole world

will be blessed,

where the whole earth

will be filled

with the glory

of God

as the waters

cover the sea.

All nations

will come,

another generation

will come,

posterity

shall serve him,

and we have

this scene

of universal worship.

worship.

So the psalm

seems to fall

into these two halves,

a psalm of distress,

point of death,

and then a psalm

of rejoicing,

great deliverance

and celebration

and worship,

a hopeless situation,

hope and a future.

after the suffering

of the righteous

one,

after the time

of darkness,

there will be joy

and there will be

deliverance

and the praise

of God

will sound forth

not only in Israel

but through

the whole world.

And that's a trajectory

many psalms follow.

Many psalms

have that pattern

of despair

and then deliverance

from death.

Psalm 30,

Psalm 116,

weeping in the night,

rejoicing in the morning,

people celebrating

what God has done.

But this psalm

is the one

the Lord Jesus Christ

quoted

upon the cross.

It is this psalm

that is referenced

in each of the four

Gospels

in different ways.

some have described

the psalm

as the gospel

according to David

or even the fifth

gospel.

And when we turn

to the Gospels

we see that

these words

were spoken

by the Lord

and referred to

by the evangelists.

In Matthew 27,

Jesus cries out

from the cross,

My God,

my God,

why have you

forsaken me?

We read

in the gospel

accounts

of the soldiers

dividing his clothing,

casting lots,

gambling

for his last garment.

We know

that the people

there

mocked

and reviled him,

even the thieves

on the neighboring cross.

And we know

that the chief priests,

Matthew 27,

43,

quoted these words

back to Jesus.

He trusted in God,

let him

deliver him.

And we know

that the Lord's

hands and feet

were pierced

as he was nailed

to the cross.

Quite remarkable,

that should be mentioned

in the psalm.

The crucifixion

wasn't invented

for many centuries

after the life

of David.

But the words

of this psalm

were in the mouth

of the Lord

as he died.

They were in the minds

of the evangelists

as they wrote

under the inspiration

of the Holy Spirit.

And if Psalm 22

describes the episode

in David's life,

a time of darkness

when he felt

forsaken by God,

when he felt himself

about to die,

then it finds

fulfillment

in the life

of Christ

where he was

forsaken

by God

upon that cross,

where he did

die

and that

for his people.

David,

the Lord's

anointed,

a righteous one

who trusted in God

and yet suffered

at the hands

of men.

David the psalmist,

but as Acts chapter 2

Acts 2 · chapter mention

tells us,

David also

the prophet.

And here he prefigures

and he predicts

the coming

of Christ

and his death

for the world.

His suffering

at the hands

of wicked men,

his being despised

and mocked,

his clothes

being divided,

his hands

and feet

being pierced

and then the terrible

silence in heaven

as darkness

covers the land

and the Lord Jesus

experiences

that forsakenness.

And of all the scenes

around the cross,

it is perhaps

that terrible silence

that is the most

terrible.

at the beginning

of the gospel,

a voice from heaven

came saying,

this is my beloved son

with whom I am

well pleased.

And that voice

now has nothing

to say

in response

to his cries.

The Lord Jesus,

who in the course

of his earthly ministry

said,

my father is always

with me,

now finds himself

alone,

nailed to a tree

abandoned.

And as we approach

that scene,

we come to the very

heart of the gospel.

We come,

as Martin Luther

said,

to the very heart

of Scripture,

the cross of Christ

runs through

the whole

of Scripture.

We come to the very

heart of human history.

Alexander McLaren

wrote,

the cross

is the center

of the world's

history.

The incarnation

of Christ

and the crucifixion

of our Lord

are the pivot

around which

all the events

of the ages

revolve.

So the Lord

quotes this

psalm.

He fulfills

this psalm.

David felt

forsaken.

David felt

close to death,

but he was

delivered.

But the Lord

experienced that

forsakenness.

The Lord

tasted

death.

James Packer,

the theologian,

says this,

On the cross,

Jesus lost

all the good

that he had

before,

all sense

of his Father's

presence and love,

all sense

of physical,

mental,

and spiritual

well-being,

all enjoyment

of God

and of created

things,

all ease

and solace

of friendship

were taken

from him.

And in their

place was

nothing but pain,

a killing sense

of human malice

and callousness

and a horror

of great

spiritual darkness.

How can this be?

how can a

righteous one

suffer in this

way?

How can the

Son of God

suffer in this

way?

And the

reason is

because he,

the righteous

one,

was suffering

for we,

the unrighteous,

bearing our

sins,

that he might

bring us to

God and

ultimately bring

us to glory.

As terrible

as the verbal

and physical

sufferings were,

it was the

withdrawal of

the Father's

presence

that was the

most disturbing,

the most

horrifying.

And in the

place of the

divine pleasure,

the divine

displeasure,

the wrath

of God

poured out

upon Christ.

Another Old

Testament prophet

Isaiah talks

about the one

who would be

pierced for

our transgressions.

that a

righteous one

would suffer

for the

unrighteous,

that the

one who

knew no

sin would

become sin,

the Son

would become

sin for us,

and that he,

the sin

bearer,

would enter

into the

presence of

a holy

God,

not with

the sacrifice

of blood,

bulls and

goats,

but of the

sacrifice of

himself,

the priest,

becoming the

victim.

And the

Lord experiences

the darkness,

the darkness

of the world

around that

day,

but the

outer darkness

of being cut

off from

God,

of tasting

his wrath,

and he does

so in order

that we

might never

be forsaken,

we might

never be cut

off or cast

out,

we might

never face

the righteous

wrath of a

holy God.

How deep

the Father's

love for us,

how vast

beyond all

measure,

that he

should give

his only

Son to

make a

wretch his

treasure,

how great

the pain

of searing

loss,

the Father

turns his

face away

as wounds

which mar

the chosen

one bring

many sons

to glory.

It was

my sin

that held

him there

until it

was accomplished,

his dying

breath has

brought me

life,

I know

that it

is finished,

that he

has done

it.

But that's

not the end

of the

psalm,

that's not

the end

of the story

after lament,

there is

joy after

an apparent

defeat,

there is

victory,

there is

the praising

of God's

name in the

congregation,

there is

the telling

of that

name to

his

brothers,

there is

the worship

of all

nations,

all the

families of

the earth.

And after

the terrible

suffering of

the righteous

one,

there is a

great

deliverance

that will

be told

throughout

the world

and told

all through

history.

And it's

very interesting

in Matthew's

gospel that

the gospel

continues beyond

chapter 27

and after

the events

of the

crucifixion

there is

the

resurrection.

And in

that gospel

Jesus

appears

and he

instructs

some of

his followers

to go

and tell

my brothers

to go

to Galilee.

He

rises

and tells

the name

of God

to his

brothers,

the only

mention

of the

brothers

in the

gospel.

praising

his name

in the

congregation.

And when

those brothers

assemble

in Galilee

he appears

to them

again.

And he

says to

them in

his parting

words,

all authority

in heaven

and on

earth has

been given

to me.

Therefore

go and

make

disciples

of all

nations.

All the

ends of

the earth

shall worship

and turn

to the

Lord.

All the

families

shall

worship

before

you.

And so

after the

suffering

of the

righteous

one,

the

brothers

will be

told and

the

nations

will hear

of the

salvation

of God.

The

suffering

of a

Davidic

figure,

an heir

of David

will lead

to the

fulfillment

of the

promise to

Abraham

of

universal

blessing.

And it

is that

that David

sees in

the

psalm.

It is that

we trust

that the

Lord

interpreted

to his

disciples

on the

road to

Emmaus

and in

the room

in which

he met

them.

We're told

at the end

of Luke's

gospel that

after his

resurrection he

interpreted the

law and the

prophets and

the Psalms

concerning

himself.

And he

said to his

followers that

the Christ

had to

suffer and

on the

third day

rise from

the dead

and that

repentance and

forgiveness of

sins would

be preached in

his name

beginning in

Jerusalem and

to all

nations.

Suffering,

repentance,

forgiveness,

universal

worship,

that all

nations might

turn to the

Lord and

trust in the

Lord for

their deliverance

from sin,

from the

powers of

darkness,

from the

outer

darkness that

Christ faced

on his

people's

behalf.

A

righteous

sufferer and

after that a

time of

universal

worship.

Christ

suffering upon

the cross,

Christ in

our place,

Christ for

us.

And then the

preaching of

the gospel,

announcing the

forgiveness of

sins,

announcing peace

with God,

announcing that

we can now

draw near

through the

most holy

place, into

the most holy

place, through

the new and

the living

way, that we

might never

face the

darkness alone,

we might

never face

the outer

darkness.

And that's

what we

remember this

morning as

we gather

around the

Lord's

Supper.

We look

back to

his sufferings

at Calvary,

his death

in our place,

the righteous

for the

unrighteous,

to bring us

to God.

God.

But then we

look forward

to his

coming again,

not to

bear sin,

but to

bring salvation

and to

gather in

all who

are his

and to

seat them

around the

heavenly banquet

above.

Jesus invites

his saints

to come to

him and

dine.

Here

pardoned

rebels meet

their Lord

through signs

of bread

and wine.

For food

he gives

his flesh,

he bids

us drink

his blood,

awaiting

favor,

matchless

grace of

our

descending

God.

So shall

this bread

and wine

maintain a

fainting

breath by

union with

our living

Lord by

interest in

his death?

So the

Lord bids

us to

come this

morning and

dine to

take the

bread and

the wine in

remembrance of

him.

God,

not because

we are

worthy,

not because

we are

righteous,

but because

he, the

righteous one,

gave himself

for us,

his life,

a ransom

for many.

And so he

bids us to

come.

But we

must come

having examined

our hearts.

And on Friday

night we

thought of the

faithfulness of

God to

we who

are very

often unfaithful

to him.

And last

night we

thought about

the forgiveness

of God and

how having

experienced

forgiveness

ourselves we

are to show

forgiveness one

to another.

The Apostle

Paul in

1 Corinthians

11 tells us

to examine

our hearts

before we

come to

the table.

Are we

right with

God?

Are we

right with

our brothers

and sisters?

And so the

invitation is

extended to

those who

know and

who love

the Lord,

who have a

living faith

in the

living Christ,

to those who

have been

baptized into

his name and

the name of

the Holy

Trinity,

and to

those who

are in

good standing

and membership

with a local

congregation.

The Lord

bids us to

come, to

eat and

drink and

to remember

his grace,

and his

love and

his mercy.

Well, before

we come to

the table,

we'll sing

once more,

this time the

118th Psalm

on page

398,

Psalm 118,

Psalms 118:15–23

verses 15

to 23.

In

dwellings of

the righteous

is heard the

melody of

joy and

health the

Lord's

Lord's

Lord's

right hand

doth

ever

valiantly.

Psalm 118,

beginning at

verse 15.

thee in

the

scent of

the

v

righteousness

It's here the melody

Of joy and health

The Lord's right hand

Hath ever valiantly

The right hand of the mighty Lord

Exalted is on high

The right hand of the mighty Lord

Hath ever valiantly

I shall not die

But live and shall

The works of God discover

The Lord of which I set store

But not to death give no vow

Oh, set ye open unto thee

The gates of righteousness

Then will I enter into them

And I the Lord will bless

This is the gate of God

Peace, God that you shall

Your friends

Thou jeep

nodes

He hurts, and has my safety been.

That stone is mid-head cornerstone,

Which builders should despise.

This is the doing of the Lord,

And wondrous in our eyes.

In Peter's first letter we read that the prophets searched and inquired carefully,

Inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating,

When he predicted the sufferings of Christ, and the subsequent glories.

So the sons of Israel looked forward to the chosen one, to the righteous one, to the Christ who would come,

And win for them their deliverance and their salvation.

And the psalm we've just looked at gives us a very important clue,

As to the identity of the one of the work he was coming to do,

To complete the work his Father had given him.

To make atonement as the great high priest for the sins of his people.

To destroy the devil's work and to bring us out of his darkness.

To deliver us from death, from the last enemy.

Christ through his death gives himself for us,

And before his death he instituted the Lord's Supper,

That we write, remember all that he has done for us.

Psalm 103, the Lord knows how we are made, and he knows that we forget.

He knows that we become distracted in life.

He knows that we face many trials and temptations,

And we can lose sight of all that he has done for us.

And so before his suffering, he instituted with his disciples the Lord's Supper,

To bring to their and to our remembrance his selfless sacrifice,

His self-giving love for his people.

He gave them the bread to remember his body broken for them,

The wine, the blood of the new covenant poured out for them.

And he established with them the new covenant which the prophets had looked forward to.

A covenant which promised that all from the greatest to the least,

From the youngest to the oldest might know the Lord.

We might know the forgiveness of our sins.

We might know the power and presence of his Holy Spirit in our lives.

And so the lines of the prophets and the Psalms intersect in the person and the work of Christ,

And the events surrounding his crucifixion and his resurrection.

And this meal was given that we might remember his passion.

We might receive grace for our Christian pilgrimage and our journey toward our heavenly home.

And we might resolve to continue following him in the way.

Bread of heaven on you we feed, for your flesh is food indeed.

Ever may our souls be fed with this true and living bread.

Day by day our strength supplied through your life, O Christ who died.

Day by day our strength.

The Old Testament saints looked forward.

We look back to these monumental events.

But we too look forward.

Because as we share in this meal we proclaim his death until he comes.

Day by day when the invitations to that messianic banquet go out.

Day by day when we will take our seats at the feast of Abraham with those of that

a great multitude from every nation.

But gather to rejoice in his presence.

Around his table here we sing the wonders of his love.

And so anticipate by faith the heavenly feast above.

And so we look back in gratitude and we look forward in hope and in faith.

The apostle Paul writing to the church in Corinth shared these words.

But I received from the Lord what I delivered to you.

But the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread.

Given thanks he broke it and said, this is my body which is for you.

Do this in remembrance of me.

In the same way also he took the cup after supper saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood.

Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.

Twenty-second psalm quoted by our Lord on the cross.

And the psalm occurs in different places in our Bibles and in Hebrews chapter 2 we arrive at the great description of the Lord's incarnation and his atoning death.

Hebrews 2 · chapter mention

In that chapter we are told that Christ, the founder of our salvation, the one who will bring many sons to glory, was made perfect through suffering.

And though made perfect, he is not ashamed to call us his brothers.

Though the very Son of God who was made lower than the angels for a season, he was made like his brothers in order that he might save us.

Delivering us from our enemy, the devil.

Delivering us from our last enemy, the darkness of death.

Delivering us from our last enemy, the devil.

And offering himself as a once for all sacrifice for our sin.

That we might be forgiven.

We might know freedom and fullness of life in him.

He is our great high priest.

He has made purification for us and is now seated at the right hand of the majesty on high.

He ever lives to intercede for us and to bring us into his glory.

And the writer to the Hebrews reminds us that he will come again.

And he will appear.

And Christ shall come with shout of acclamation.

And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.

He will appear not to bear sin, but to bring salvation.

And in the meantime, he calls us to look back to remember him.

And what he has done for each of us.

He calls us to look forward in hope and faith of when he will appear.

And he calls us now to walk with him.

To trust him.

He will walk with him.

He will walk with him.

He will walk with him.

He will walk with him.

He will walk with him.

And you will know how deep, how high, how wide his love can flow.

He calls us to walk with him through this broken world into which we are now sent.

To share with others the good news of his gospel.

And to show to others the grace of our Lord.

He calls us to work for him.

The letter ends by speaking of the God of peace.

Equipping us with everything good that we may do his will.

The same God who brought back from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the eternal covenant.

So we are to walk with Christ.

We are to work for him wherever we find ourselves in our daily lives.

And we are to wait for him.

Wait for his glorious appearing.

To his return in glory.

To wait for him if we are passing through the dark night of our soul.

To wait for him if trouble is near.

And to trust that he will deliver us through that.

That morning light will break into the darkness.

That one day the morning star will rise in our hearts and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

And all tears will be wiped from our faces.

So we are to wait.

And if I may just address any who have not yet trusted themselves to the Lord Jesus Christ.

We might want to say that please don't wait.

Today can be the day of salvation.

Today can be the day that you come to him.

And find the forgiveness of your sins.

Find freedom from habits and behaviors that have enslaved you.

Find fullness of life and life in the power of the Holy Spirit.

So while we wait for Christ, don't wait to be right with him.

To welcome him as he welcomes any and all who come to him.

For he is the friend of sinners and tax collectors.

He is the righteous one who went to the cross for the unrighteous.

The sinless one who became sin.

That we might become the righteousness of God.

So we wait for Christ.

But don't wait to get right with him.

And to trust him as your Lord and your Savior.

Walk now with him.

That way is light.

All other pathways end in night.

Walk still with him.

That way is rest.

All other pathways are unblessed.

Let us walk with the Lord.

Let us work for the Lord as we wait for the Lord.

And let us pray once more together now.

Heavenly Father, we give you our praise and thanks that you have conferred on us so great a benefit.

As to bring us into communion with your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank you that he was willing to be delivered up to death for us.

And has now given us food and drink to eternal life.

Grant us grace that we would never be unmindful of these things.

That we might carry them around engraven in our hearts.

And that we might advance in love.

And grow in faith.

And be rich in good works.

Lord, might the rest of our days, whether many or few, be ordered and followed to your glory.

And for the good of the world around us.

And we pray this through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Who with you, the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns in the unity of the Godhead.

World without end.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Well, his name shall indeed endure.

And we want to close our time by singing from the Scottish Psalter, Psalm 72, verses 17 to 19.

Psalms 72:17–19

Psalm 72, found on page 314.

His name shall forever endure.

Last, like the sun it shall.

Men shall be blessed in him.

And blessed all nations shall him call them.

Job is with us.

Amen.

Amen.

Yes.

Amen.

Amen.

Thank you.

Amen.

To will, among others shall you consider it.

Just like the sun it shall.

Men shall be blessed

Still firm and blessed all nations shall involve.

Now blessed be the Lord our God, the God of Israel.

For he alone doth wondrous works in glory that excel.

And blessed be his glorious name to all eternity.

The whole earth let its glory fill.

Amen.

So let it be.

Immediately after the service we shall go to the main door.

And I look forward to greeting you there.

But as we close our time together we do so with a word of blessing.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Thank you.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.