An Old Testament Calvary | Part 2

Do you recognize the victory of the cross of Jesus Christ?

Listen to Adrian Rogers. There's the prophecy of the cross. My dear friend, there's the agony of the cross, but I thank God for Psalm 22 that tells us of the victory of the cross.

It's all there. What a Psalm it is. Jesus Christ is presented in the Bible as prophet, priest, and king, and right here in these verses, you're going to see Jesus Christ as prophet, priest, and king. And my dear friend, it was written in a book almost a thousand years before he ever got here. What a Savior. What a Savior.

Welcome to Love Worth Finding featuring the timeless messages and teachings of Pastor Adrian Rogers. As we become students of the Word, we see clearly that the Old Testament and the New Testament tell the same story of Jesus. The entire Bible expresses the fulfilled prophecy and united message that Jesus Christ alone saves. In part one of today's message, we examined Psalm 22 as it greatly details the crucifixion of Jesus a thousand years before he was born. If you have your Bible, turn there now as Adrian Rogers shares part two of an Old Testament Calvary. Look, if you will now, I begin to read in Psalm 22. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me and from the words of my roaring, my, oh my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not.

And in the night season I am not silent, but thou art holy, O thou that inhabits the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in thee, they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee and were delivered.

They trusted in thee and were not confounded. But I am a worm and no man, a reproach of men, and despised of the people. 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, saying he delighted in him. But thou art he that took me out of the womb. Thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts. I was cast upon thee from the womb. Thou art my God from my mother's belly.

Be not far from me, for trouble is near, for there is none to help. Many bulls have compassed me. Strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me with their mouths as a ravening and a roaring lion.

Note specially verses 14, 15, and 16. I am poured out like water. All of my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax.

It is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws. Thou hast brought me into the dust of death, for dogs have compassed me. The assembly of the wicked have enclosed me. They pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones they look and stare upon me.

They part my garments among them and cast lots upon my vesture. Now, first of all, I want you to see what I'm going to call the prophecy of the cross. And I want you to see, as I've said, almost 1,000 years before Jesus Christ was ever born, almost 1,000 years.

There is an account of the crucifixion of Jesus that sounds like an eyewitness standing at the very cross of Jesus Christ. For example, for example, the very words that Jesus Christ would say on the cross. Look, if you will, in verse 1. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Take your Bible and turn to Matthew 27 and leave it open in Psalm 22 and Matthew 27, both of these together. Look, if you will, in verse 46. Jesus is on the cross, and the Bible says, And about the ninth hour Jesus cried, with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?

That is to say, are you ready? My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? The exact words that are recorded in Psalm 22 came from the mouth of the Lord Jesus.

Well, you say, Pastor, that's easy. Jesus just looked back and read Psalm 22, and when he was on the cross, he was quoting poetry. No, my dear friend, Jesus was not looking backward quoting poetry. David was looking forward quoting Jesus. Look, if you will, in verse 17.

I may tell all my bones, they look and stare upon me. That is, the Lord Jesus Christ is hanging there absolutely totally uncovered. Jesus Christ, who was perfect purity and undefiled modesty, was stripped naked to hang upon that cross.

The Bible tells us that that happened to him in Matthew 27, verse 28, And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And Matthew 27, verse 36 says, And sitting down they watched him there. Amazing precision in this Psalm. And then look in verse 18.

They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. And read there in Matthew, chapter 27, and verse 35, And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots, that is, rolling dice, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet. David is called a prophet here. Now, all I've done, dear friend, is take a few, not all, but a few of the incredible correspondences between what David wrote. I am telling you, 1,000 years before the crucifixion, they pierced my hands and my feet. How did that come to pass? Do you think that is happenstance?

Do you think that just happened? No, my dear friend, that is the prophecy of the cross. Secondly, I want you to notice the agony of the cross. I want you to see the price that Jesus Christ paid for your redemption, that you might be here today, that you might be forgiven, that you might be saved, that you might be filled with the Holy Spirit, that you might have a hope that is steadfast and sure. How you ought to praise the Lord Jesus because of the suffering that he suffered. No one ever suffered like the Lord Jesus Christ. Others were crucified, but nobody ever suffered like Jesus, and I'll show you why. Jesus suffered at the hands of three. He suffered at the hands of God. He suffered at the hands of men, and he suffered at the hands of Satan. I want you to see it right here in this psalm.

First of all, he suffered at the hand of a holy God. Now look, if you will, in verses 1 through 5. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Look in verse 15, if you will, the last part of verse 15.

Thou hast brought me to the dust of death. Who crucified the Lord Jesus? God the Father crucified him. God the Father put him to death.

You say, I don't understand that. Well, my dear friend, when Jesus Christ became the sin-bearer, then Jesus Christ took the sin penalty, and the sin penalty is death. The wages of sin is death. You can read in Isaiah chapter 53 and verse 10, concerning the Lord Jesus, it pleased the Lord to bruise him. It pleased Jehovah to bruise the Lord Jesus Christ. I read there in Romans chapter 8 and verse 32 that God spared not his own son, but delivered him up. Who delivered him? God delivered him. Who failed to spare him? God failed to spare him. Who forsook him? God forsook him. Who delivered him to the dust of death? God the Father and he who had been in the bosom of the Father from eternity past now is forsaken of the Father and has become the object, the object of the Father's wrath. And the center of the Father's loathing, the Son of God.

Have you ever thought about that? Have you ever thought what Jesus Christ took for you, my dear friend, that Jesus Christ took your hell? Jesus took your punishment. Jesus took the wrath, the fire of God upon himself. No wonder he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.

Let it pass from me. Who crucified Jesus? Number one, my dear friend, the agony of the cross. He died at the hands of God, but not only at the hands of God, my dear friend, the holy hand of God, but also the hateful hand of man. Look, if you will, in verses 6 and following here, the Bible says, But I am a worm, and no man a reproach of men, and despised of all of the people. I am a worm. Who is a worm? Jesus. Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made of himself no reputation.

Have you ever gotten that low? Have you ever said to yourself, I am a worm, a worm, a worm? He who made everything a worm?

You step on a snake, you'll strike back. You step on a worm, you just stepped on him. I am a worm, a worm. The worm spoken of here probably was the crimson crocus. A worm, when crushed, may die, crimson die. It's the same word that is used for worm is used in Isaiah 118. Yea, though you come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord, though your sins be as crimson.

Same word that's used there. They shall be as wool. Thank God his crimson blood for our crimson sin, that we might be washed whiter than snow.

I am a worm. He suffered at the hands of men. They stepped on him like he was a worm, like he was a worm, the very Son of God. He shed his blood. Do you know the Bible tells us we better be very careful we don't trample under our feet the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

I don't know of a greater sin than to deal lightly with the blood of Jesus Christ. Some years ago, I heard of a father who was a businessman. At his desk, he received a phone call. They said, sir, we hate to tell you this, but there's been an accident.

A young man has been hit by an automobile. We don't have all of the details, but we believe he's your son. He said, where is he? And they gave him the street corner. It was near his office. He said, I'll be right there. He ran out of his office, got in his automobile, and drove to this particular place where his son, according to the report, had been hit by an automobile.

When he got there, he saw the crowds as they were starting to disperse. He said, where's the boy that was hit? Where's my son? Someone not knowing the situation said, oh, you mean the boy who was killed? He said, what?

Oh, yes, the boy who was killed. He said, is he dead? He said, yes, he's dead. He said, tell me about it.

What happened? He said, well, the car hit him. Where did he hit him? Right there, and he looked, and there was a pool of blood right there in the street, a pool of blood. He knew it was his son's blood. And the automobiles there on that busy street were driving right through that blood, one car after another, driving through that pool of blood. When that father looked at it and realized that was the blood of his own dear son, he couldn't take it. He ripped off his coat, and he stood in front of it and said, stop, stop, stop, stop. You'll not drive through my son's blood like that.

You can't do it. It's the blood of my son. Now, I wonder, my dear friend, what we do with the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We don't understand the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrews chapter 10, verse 29, of how much sore of punishment suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden underfoot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace. Oh, my friend, Jesus, the Son of God, suffered at the hands of God, at the holy hands of God. He suffered at the hateful hands of men, and he suffered at the hellish hands of Satan. My dear friend, look, if you will, in verses 19 and following of this same psalm.

We see here, oh, he says, be thou not far from me. Oh, Lord, my strength hasteth thee to help me deliver my soul from the sword, my darling, from the power of the dog. Hell's dogs save me from the lion's mouth. Who is the lion?

Who is the roaring lion? It is Satan himself who goeth about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. All of the artilleries of hell were let loose upon the Lord Jesus when he was on that cross. All of the powers of the pit were concentrated upon the Lord Jesus.

Luke chapter 22, verse 53, Jesus said when he was facing the cross, but this is your hour. And then he said, and the power of darkness. What he meant was the power of Satan, the power of the enemy. And hell had a holiday. And demons taunted and tormented the Lord Jesus when he was on the cross. God forsaken, attacked by Satan, abused by men. Jesus suffered.

Jesus bled. Jesus died for you at the holy hand of God, the hateful hand of man, the hellish hand of Satan. That's the agony of the cross. And how can we sit unmoved?

How can we ignore such love? Jesus paid that price for us. You say, well, did he really take my hell?

He was only there for six hours on the cross. My dear friend, in six hours, Jesus suffered everything you'd suffer for eternity. He being infinite suffered in a finite period of time.

What you being finite would suffer in an infinite period of time. The sins of the world were distilled upon Jesus and the eternities were compressed upon the Lord Jesus. And the Bible says concerning him, there is no sorrow like my sorrow. No one ever suffered. No one ever suffered. No one ever suffered like Jesus.

No one. There's the prophecy of the cross. My dear friend, there's the agony of the cross. But I thank God for Psalm 22 that tells us of the victory of the cross. It's all there.

It's all there. What a Psalm it is. Now, in Psalm 22 and verse 22, the tone changes. In the first 21 verses, the Psalm is going down, down, down, down.

And then all of a sudden it begins to rise and come up because there's a resurrection. Look, if you will, he says, I will declare thy name unto my brethren. 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 the seed of Israel. Jesus Christ is presented in the Bible as prophet, priest, and king. And right here in these verses, you're going to see Jesus Christ as prophet, priest, and king. As prophet, he declares the Father. Look in verse 22, if you will, again. He says, I will declare thy name. God the Son is speaking to God the Father. I will declare thy name to my brethren. Do you know who he's talking about, folks? Us.

Us? Oh, bless his name. In the midst of the congregation, I will praise thee. Jesus says, I'll praise thee, Father. Ye that fear the Lord, praise him.

Jesus is talking to you now. I hope you know how to praise him. Jesus is saying, ye that fear the Lord, praise him. All ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him and fear him, all ye seed of Israel. And then he says in verse 25, my praise shall be of thee in the great congregation.

What is all of this talking about? The writer of the book of Hebrews knew what he was talking about. Just put in your margin Hebrews 2, verses 11 and 12, for both he that sanctifieth, that's Jesus, and he that are sanctified are all of one.

That's us. We're the ones who are sanctified. For which cause he's not ashamed to call them brethren.

He's not ashamed to call you his brother. I'm next of kin to the Holy Trinity saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren. Now he's quoting Psalm 22. In the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. Did you know when you gather here this morning to sing that Jesus is out there singing?

Did you know that? When I'm preaching, Jesus is preaching. When you're singing, Jesus is singing. He says, in the midst of the church, I will sing praises. If people only knew what was happening in a song service, Jesus said in Matthew 18 where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Christ meets with his people. Christ sings with his people.

Christ praises with his people. He's the one who declares the Father. He's the one who makes God the Father real. He said, I'm the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. So he is the prophet, and as the prophet, he declares the Father, but not only is he a prophet, he's a priest, and as a priest, he delivers the faithful.

Look in verse 26. The meek shall eat and be satisfied. They shall praise the Lord that seek him.

Your heart shall live forever. What does a priest do? He offers the showbread that represents Jesus who is the bread of life, and Jesus feeds his people. Oh, my dear friend, Jesus delivers his people.

He is here today to give you the bread of life, this one who died for you. He is prophet, he is priest, and I love this next part. Oh, my dear friend, he is king. As prophet, he declares the Father. As priest, he delivers the faithful.

But, oh, my dear friend, as prince, he dominates the future. Look, if you will, in verse 27. All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn unto the Lord.

Listen to it, listen. And all of the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee, for the kingdom is the Lord's. The kingdom is the Lord's. He is prophet to declare the Father. He is priest. Oh, my friend, to deliver the faithful.

But he is a prince and a potentate. Oh, my dear friend, to dominate the future. People say, what's the world coming to?

I'll tell you what the world's coming to. It's coming to Jesus. Jesus owns this world. It was made by him and for him, and the Bible says it's coming back to him. You read Colossians chapter 1. And the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ.

And Jesus shall reign where the sun doth his successive journeys run and his kingdom spread from shore to shore till moon shall wax and wane no more. He is prophet to declare the Father. He is priest to deliver the faithful.

He is prince to dominate the future. His name is what? Jesus. Don't you love him?

Don't you love him? He who did so much for you. And, my dear friend, it was written in a book almost a thousand years before he ever got here. What a Savior. What a Savior.

Let's pray. Father, I pray today, Lord, that you would just speak to our hearts. Help us, Lord, to understand what a great salvation we have. And, Lord, I pray for those today who may not be saved, that, Lord, they might trust in you. You have come, Lord, to declare the Father. Father, may they come through you to the Father.

For, Lord, there's one God and one mediator between God and man, Christ Jesus. May many be saved. For we pray in his dear name. Amen.

Amen. And if you prayed to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior today, we would love to celebrate with you and invite you to our Find God's Love page on the website. There you'll find answers you may need about your newfound faith. Simply go to lwf.org slash radio and click on the tab that says Find God's Love.

Welcome to His Forever Family. We can't wait to hear from you today. Now, if you'd like to order a copy of this message in its entirety, you can call us at 1-877-LOVEGOD.

Mention the title, An Old Testament Calvary. You can also order online at lwf.org slash radio. Or write to us at Love Worth Finding, Box 38600, Memphis, Tennessee 38183. Do you serve Jesus Christ, the prophet, priest, and prince? Scriptures proclaim that this world belongs to Him and He is coming back to it soon. We hope you'll join us next time for more from Adrian Rogers right here on Love Worth Finding. Here's an encouraging message we received from a listener not long ago. He said, may the Lord continue to bless the ministry of Love Worth Finding as you all seek to continue carrying the banner of our Lord Jesus Christ. Well, at Love Worth Finding, our great hope is to continue Adrian Rogers' work in introducing people to Jesus and sharing what it means to fully follow Christ every day. That's why when you donate to the ministry of Love Worth Finding right now, we'd love to send you a copy of the Discover Jesus book. This book gives a clear call to follow Christ while it offers practical steps to learn more about your new relationship with Him. Request a copy of Discover Jesus when you call with a gift today at 1-877-LOVEGOD. Or you can give online at lwf.org slash radio. And thank you for your generous support of Love Worth Finding.