It's All About Jesus | Part 2

From the Love We're Finding studios in Memphis, Tennessee, I'm Byron Tyler, here with Kerry Vaughn, the CEO of Love We're Finding. Kerry, today we continue in a series, Victory in Jesus. And don't you remember Adrian Rogers standing up and just shouting that so many times, there's victory in Jesus. Oh yeah, I mean, hey, come to Jesus, there's victory in Jesus. Here's why it's all about Jesus.

I mean, those are the themes of his ministry. On today's message, it's all about Jesus, part two, and you can catch up on part one at LWF.org or the My LWF app. You know, in Dr. Rogers wisdom, you know, he was talking about it one time, the Old Testament, you know, really the entire Bible itself, all 66 books is about one thing, our hero, Jesus Christ.

And he had this to say. Some people have in their mind that the Old Testament is about perhaps the Jewish race or the creation of the world and these things, and that the New Testament is about Jesus. May I tell you my dear friend that all of the Bible is about Jesus. And Jesus said concerning the Old Testament, search the scriptures for these are they which testify of me. And as you open your Bible and read it carefully and prayerfully, standing somewhere in the shadows, you'll find the Lord Jesus Christ. This is his book. He is the hero of the Bible. And if you read the Bible and don't find the Lord Jesus Christ, you'd better reread it because he is there somewhere.

Boy, this was early in his ministry and he was preaching with tenacity and he was preaching with conviction. Don't you love that? Oh, I do. And you know, you can go to my LWF app. I think it's one of the best things. As a matter of fact, this morning I was talking to a friend of mine who says, hey, I've got the app.

I listened to it this morning. But my LWF app, we have a section there out of the vault, has all these early sermons from Adrian Rogers. And they're all available at no cost.

I mean, at your fingertips, on demand anytime. That's right. Well, today it's all about Jesus.

Part two. And the text carry is Psalm 22, which greatly details the crucifixion of Jesus Christ a thousand years before he was born. It's prophecy and it's prophecy coming to light. And, you know, we know salvation is more than just a prayer, right? It's true repentance. And then we believe. But more than that, we receive him to be our Lord and savior. And that's what we see here in Psalm 22. Well, Carrie, as you said, getting the gospel out is such an important part for us as believers to do.

And we have a wonderful resource this month here at LWF. It's entitled Discover Jesus. Who is Jesus?

How can I know him personally? How can I grow in him in ministry and maturity? But also, how can I share him with those in my circle of influence? What we're asking every donor, every partner, every supporter for every fifteen dollars you faithfully give today, you will be able to put the life changing book, Discover Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, into the hands of someone who is truly longing for truth. People who desire to know Jesus and receive this gift at no cost because of your investment.

That's what we're asking. Yeah, that investment, Carrie, can really change a life for eternity. That fifteen dollars you invest today can put a copy of Discover Jesus in the hands of someone who really needs the Savior when they call here at LWF. You can make that donation at 1-877-Love-God. 1-877-Love-God or LWF.org. Well, Carrie, Nicole is back with us today from Ministry Services and we always love hearing from Nicole because she's got some letters from our listeners from all over LWF.

Absolutely. Oh, Byron, it is great to be back with you today. I have such a wonderful testimony I'd love to share with you real quick. This testimony came from one of our Facebook followers and it says, I have learned so much from Pastor Adrian Rogers. He had such a wonderful way of explaining how every book of the Bible is about Jesus. Through his teachings, I've learned that the Old and New Testament are always relevant. You know, Nicole, that really ties into what we're talking about today and it's so encouraging to see how that overflow of the preaching of Adrian Rogers when he's talking about the Old Testament pointing to Jesus, being a hero of the Old Testament Jesus, and seeing how this listener has responded. It's beautiful.

Absolutely, Byron. It really just brings to my mind an Old Testament passage happens to be one of my favorites and it's Psalm 119 105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path and how we can see that the Old Testament just shines that truth of who Jesus Christ is. And so it doesn't matter if you're in the Old Testament or New Testament. It's all about Jesus. Oh, I love that Nicole. I really do. Well with today's message, it's all about Jesus part two.

Here's Adrian Rogers. You cannot read Psalm 22 and go away not loving the Bible and not loving the Lord Jesus Christ. And as you read Psalm 22, you'll have to say it's all about Jesus. Now wait a minute, pastor. I thought that's the Old Testament.

That's what I've been trying to tell you. It's all about Jesus. Now this was written almost 1000 years before Jesus Christ walked the dusty shores of Galilee. The Psalmist David in prophecy wrote of the cross of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Now crucifixion was a Roman form of execution. It did not come into the Jewish world for 800 years in the Bible in David's time when they executed people.

They did it by stoning. But here we find by divine inspiration a prophecy of the cross. Look in verse one, my God, my God, why has thou forsaken me? Now David prophesies Messiah on the cross saying, my God, my God, why has thou forsaken me? Matthew 27 verse 46. And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice saying, Eli, Eli, lama, subotany. That is to say, my God, my God, why has thou forsaken me? Jesus was not looking back quoting David.

To the contrary, David was looking forward quoting Jesus. Look in Psalm 22 verse two. Oh my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not.

And in the night season and am not silent. That is when Jesus was on the cross, it was both day and night. Put in the margin, Matthew chapter 27 in verse 45. Now from the sixth hour, there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. Jesus spent six agonizing hours upon the cross. Jesus Christ was crucified at nine in the morning and he died at three in the afternoon.

Three hours of day and three hours of night when Jesus was crucified. Look now in Psalm 22 verses seven through 13. 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 seeing he delighteth in him. Put in your margin, Matthew 27 verses 39 and following. And they that passed by reviled him and wagging their heads and saying, thou that destroys the temple and buildest it in three days, save thyself if thou be the son of God. Come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priest mocking him with the scribes and the elders said, he saved others.

Himself he cannot save. If he be the king of Israel, let him now come down from the cross and we will believe him. He trusted in God.

Let him deliver him now if he will have him. For he said, I am the son of God. The thieves also which were crucified with him cast the same in his teeth. David prophesied this scorn and it came.

Look in Psalm 22 now and look in verse 14. Messiah says, I am poured out like water and all my bones are out of joy. My heart is like wax.

It is melted in the midst of my bowels. Jesus is saying, my heart is broken and I am poured out like water. Put in your margin now, John 19 verse 34, but one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side and forthwith there came out blood and water.

Men in medicine tell us that sometimes under great duress this can happen. It was a sign that our savior died, not primarily from the nails, but from a broken heart. David looking forward down through the centuries prophesied incredibly. Look in verse 15. My strength is dried up like a potsherd.

Do you know what a potsherd is? It is a dry broken vessel and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws. It's thirst, blistering thirst, dried up like a broken vessel with his tongue dry cleaving to his jaws. Put down in your margin, John chapter 19 in verse 28. And after this Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.

David by divine inspiration dipped his pen in gold and glory and described the crucifixion. Now look in verse 16. For dogs have come past me.

Now continue the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me. Vowels, dogs, the assembly. These are the ones who crucified the Lord Jesus. A common term for Gentiles in that day were dogs.

They were called Gentile dogs. So he speaks not only of the almighty, but he speaks of the Gentiles. And then he speaks of the assembly of the wicked. There he's talking in verse 16 about the Jewish council. And those were the ones who nailed the Lord Jesus to the cross, who crucified Jesus upon the cross. Well, God, the father, the Gentiles and the Jewish assembly, all of this foretold by David centuries and centuries before Jesus came to this earth. But look at verse 17. I may tell all my bones. They look and stare upon me.

Put out in your margin. Matthew 27 verse 28. And they stripped him and put on him a scarlet robe. Look, if you will, in verse 18, Psalm 22 verse 18. They part my garments among them and cast lots upon my vesture. Then look at Matthew chapter 27 in verse 35. And they crucified him and parted his garments, casting lots that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophet.

They parted my garments among them and upon my vesture did they cast lots. That tells us beyond the shadow of any doubt of peradventure that David was talking about the crucifixion a thousand years before Jesus Christ was born in the flesh. I've talked about the amazing prophecy of the cross.

Now I'm going to shift gears. Next I want to talk about the agonizing passion of the cross. There is no suffering that can even begin to be compared to the suffering of our Lord and God and savior Jesus Christ upon that wicked cross. I remind you again that Jesus suffered at the holy hand of God. Now look again in verses one through five. My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?

Why are thou so far from helping me? And again I ask the question, why did God the Father turn his back on God the Son and his humanity? It is because Jesus Christ, who had been in the bosom of the Father for all eternity, is now not only alienated from the Father. Listen church, he has become the object of the Father's wrath. You say, I don't understand that, pastor. You have to understand that he is a substitute.

He is taking your place. And therefore, as you would become the object of the Father's wrath, Jesus is the object of the Father's wrath. Look at the last part of verse 15. He's speaking to the Father and it says, thou has brought me into the dust of death. Isaiah the prophet helps us to understand it even better. In verse 10, it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He hath put him to grief.

There's no escaping it. God the Father poured out his wrath upon his beloved son because his beloved son was our sacrifice. And Romans 8 verse 32 says, God spared not his son.

Both of my sons are in the ministry. If you would ask me, will you give me one of your sons that I might butcher and torture him? I would say no. Absolutely not. You say that it might save me and I could be forgiven.

I still wouldn't do it. I'm ashamed to say I don't love you that much. I don't love anybody that much. But God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. He did not spare Jesus. Now he did not spare Jesus because Jesus had my sin, your sin, our sin, their sin upon him.

You're reasonable. Do you think therefore that God will spare you if you don't receive Jesus? That if you don't put your faith where God has put your sin, be reasonable church. If there were ever a time when God would have been tempted to be lenient upon sin was when that sin was upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus suffered at the holy hand of God, but I want to tell you what else he suffered. He suffered at the hateful hand of man because men were the perpetrators and they were not innocent.

Yes, God in his infinite wisdom allowed it, but notice Psalm 22 verses six through eight. The savior says, but I'm a worm and no man. A reproach of men and despised of the people. All that see me, laugh me to scorn.

They shoot out the lip. They shake the head saying he trusted in the Lord that he would deliver him. Let him deliver him now if he will have him. What humiliation. The son of God describes himself as a worm.

We strut, we boast. Jesus made himself of no reputation. The worm that he is talking about here is called the crimson crocus. It was a small animal that was crushed to make red dye, crimson dye, and I believe it is a prophecy of the spilled blood of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, or he better yet the shed blood, though your sins be as crimson, they shall be white as snow. Thank God for his crimson blood that washes away our crimson sin.

Thank God for that. Who crucified Jesus? God the father, the holy hands of God, the hateful hands of men. Our sins were the nails that held Jesus to the cross and our hard hearts, the hammers that drove those nails.

But thirdly, Jesus was crucified at the hellish hand of Satan. Look if you will again in Psalm 22 verses 19 through 21. But be thou not far from me, O Lord, my strength, haste to me to help me. Deliver my soul from the sword, my darling from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion's mouth, for thou has heard me from the horns of the unicorn. The lion's mouth.

Who is that? That is Satan himself. That's the power of darkness. Satan goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he made of power. Hell was having a holiday when Jesus Christ was on the cross.

Jesus called it in Luke 22 and verse 53, the power of darkness. We see the agony of the cross. There's no death like crucifixion, none. Execution by crucifixion is a terrible thing. I hope you understand that when Jesus Christ died on that cross, Jesus literally baptized his soul in hell for you. In six hours, the eternities were compressed. In six hours, the sins of the world were distilled and Jesus, the son of God died at the holy hands of God, the hateful hands of man and the hellish hands of Satan.

Why? Because he loves us. But the point I'm making is folks, listen, this is 1,000 years before Jesus Christ came. You're going to find at least 33 precise details of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in this song written before Jesus came to this earth. Now, last of all, not only the amazing prophecies and the agonizing passion, but I want you to notice the abounding provision of the cross. Look what happens now. I want you to see how this Psalm just changes gears. I want you to see how it twists and turns around now because it's been going down, down, down and now it turns and begins to go up. But look in verse 22.

What an amazing thing. I will declare thy name unto my brethren in the midst of the congregation, I will praise thee. I thought he was going to be crucified.

I thought he was dead. But now, here he is pictured in the midst of the congregation praising the Lord. Jesus Christ now is pictured in this prophecy as a prophet, priest and king. Let me share that and I'll be finished. As a prophet, Jesus declares the Father.

Listen to that. I will declare thy name unto my brethren in the midst of the congregation. You know what Jesus is doing here?

He's making known the Father to you. Jesus said, I've come that you might know the Father and there's no way that you will know the Father except through the Son. No man cometh unto the Father but by me.

Jesus said, I'm the way, the truth and the life. And where is Jesus declaring the Father? In the midst of the congregation. He says in this Psalm, I will sing praise. My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation. The Bible says, don't forsake the assembling of yourselves together as the manner of some is. I hope that you will continue faithful attendance to church because Jesus does.

You say, well, I can listen on radio or I can read about it. That's not the same. Be faithful. Be loyal because this Savior is a prophet who declares the Father and when he does it, he does it in the midst of the congregation. But not only is he a prophet, he is a priest to deliver the faithful.

Look in verse 26, the meek shall eat and be satisfied. He is the bread of heaven. He is our priest that feeds us and delivers us. But not only is he prophet and priest, he is king. Look in verses 27 and 28, all the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord. And all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee for the kingdom is the Lord's and he is governor among the nations. This one that they stepped on, this worm, this one that God the Father had to hide his face from, this one that men spat upon and mocked, he is the king of kings. He is the Lord of lords. The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as waters that cover the sea. I wrap it up with this verse. Look, if you will, in verse 31. They shall come and declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born that he hath done this.

Who are the people that shall be born? Lift your hand. Hold it up. I'm the one that he's talking about. Are you getting this? Are you understanding this? David looking down through the centuries, looks at the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And then he says, it is for a people that shall be born. And it says, they will say, he hath done this. Do you know what he hath done this means literally? It is finished. Second Chronicles chapter four and verse 11, and Huram made the pots and the shovels and the basins and Huram finished the work that he was to make. Now where it says that he finished the work, it's exactly the same word that says he had done this. It is a Hebrew word, Asa, which means in one word, it is finished. And when Jesus, the son of God, bowed his head upon Calvary's cross, he said in one word, Tetelestai, which means it is finished.

Nothing like this could ever be written by happenstance. And as you read this song, you have to love the word of God and you have to love the son of God because it's all about him. Well, maybe today, as you've listened to Pastor Rogers, you have questions regarding your faith in Jesus. We'd love to offer an insightful resource on our website.

It's the Find Answers page. There you'll find resources and materials that will answer questions you may have about your relationship with God. We also invite you to check out our Grow Your Faith page where you can get grounded and dig deeper in the scriptures. Go to lwf.org slash radio and click the tab that says Grow Your Faith or Find Answers. We can't wait to hear from you today. Do you serve Jesus Christ, the prophet and priest? Scriptures proclaim that this world belongs to him and he is coming back to it soon. Thanks for joining us in our study of God's word and join us next time for more timeless truth from Adrian Rogers right here on Love Worth Finding.