Psalm 22
Brothers and Sisters,
As we close out the Psalms series we return to the cross with the Psalm of the Cross. Psalm 22.
Whether you love prophecy, history, theology, science, or prefer Scripture that gives hope, peace, and reveals the ultimate love of God. Psalm 22 encompasses it all, and has something for everyone. Not only does psalm 22 highlight the cornerstone of the Christian faith which is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but there is so much more layered into this stunning piece of scripture. The depths of this Psalm reveal it would have been completely impossible to compose if it had not been God breathed.
Just as Jesus Christ, personally gave His life for you, He has also developed a unique and personal relationship for you to participate in with Him. God created each of us with our own sets of inclinations and things that speak to us. That’s not an accident. It’s a beautiful design within the church body that each of us are built to get excited about different components of the same Word. It allows us to come together in fellowship as brothers and sisters, to sharpen one other, to grow in unity, and most importantly to enrich our personal relationship with our Father.
Psalm 22 is very personal to me because God has used it to reach down into my own life and reveal aspects of my personal relationship with Him. He used this one section of His living Word to literally break down every last stronghold that had held me captive to doubt and uncertainty in my faith. As I prepare this message, my prayer is that God would meet you where you are and show you who He is and who He says you are.
We are going to look at this Psalm for the extraordinary piece of scripture that it is and grow to understand our own distinct and beautiful relationship with God our Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. The single greatest thing that we can do as a Christians is move ourselves from a collective relationship to a personal relationship. Genuine faith isn’t something that we get from growing up in a Christian family or listening to sermons or walking into a church on Sunday. Our faith needs to become something that is personal, unique, and treasured by us because it is a gift from God. It is through our appreciation of our own relationship that we can then appreciate others unique and personal relationships.
I look forward to digging into Psalm 22 with you this Sunday.
Grace and Peace,
Nathan McBride