08/24/2026
Sunday Sermon Recap Sunday August 23, 2026
Psalm 22: The Cross, the Resurrection, and the Mission
Psalm 22 is the first of a powerful trilogy of Psalms (22–24) portraying Christ as the Suffering Savior, Shepherd, and King. Psalm 22 focuses on the Cross, Psalm 23 on the Crook/Shepherd’s care, and Psalm 24 on the Crown and Christ’s glory.
The message divides Psalm 22 into three movements:
1. The Passion of the Messiah-King (vv. 1–18)
Psalm 22 prophetically describes the suffering of Jesus on the cross. Christ suffered:
* Spiritually — He experienced abandonment and cried, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” Yet His cry was one of distress, not distrust.
* Personally — He was mocked, despised, humiliated, and rejected, fulfilling the picture of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53.
* Physically — His suffering remarkably corresponds to crucifixion: His bones were disjointed, He experienced intense thirst, His hands and feet were pierced, His enemies stared at Him, and His garments were divided and cast for by lot.
Jesus endured this suffering willingly as the sinless substitute for sinners. He was abandoned so that those who trust in Him would never have to experience eternal separation from God. “He was not delivered so that we could be delivered from judgment.”
2. The Prayer of the Messiah-King (vv. 19–21a)
Even in the midst of unimaginable suffering, Jesus continued to trust His Father. His prayer centers on two requests:
* God’s help — “Do not be far from me…come quickly to help me.”
* God’s deliverance — He asks God to rescue Him from the sword, the dogs, the lion, and the wild oxen.
The turning point comes with the words, “You answered me.” God did not rescue Christ from death but through death and out of death.
3. The Praise of the Messiah-King (vv. 21b–31)
The words “You answered me” form the hinge between Christ’s suffering and His victory. The resurrection transforms the cry of abandonment into a song of praise.
Because God raised and vindicated Christ:
* God’s people will worship Him (vv. 21–26).
* The nations will worship Him (vv. 27–31).
Psalm 22 therefore contains a powerful missionary vision. The story of Christ’s suffering, death, resurrection, and salvation will be proclaimed from generation to generation until people from every nation turn to the Lord and worship Him.
Main Takeaway
Psalm 22 is the psalm of Christ’s crucifixion, the psalm of Christ’s resurrection, and the psalm of the church’s mission.
Jesus suffered for us, was delivered through resurrection, and now sends His people to proclaim what God has done to all the nations.
The message ultimately moves from “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (v. 1) to “He has done it!” (v. 31)—from the Cross to the Resurrection to the Mission of the Church.
