The Bible is the story of Jesus from Genesis through Revelation—it is all about the love of the Father and the love of the Son who was willing to lay His life down as a sacrifice for the sin of the whole world. John 3: 16 says it all. It is one of the verses that we learn as children and memorize. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” God is love—Jesus is love—the Holy Spirit is love. No person is ever saved through any other way than through Jesus. The people living before Jesus died on the cross were saved by looking to and believing in that sacrifice—the Lamb of God slain before the foundation of the world. They looked to the cross and now we are saved and redeemed from sin by looking back at the cross and believing and trusting in Jesus as Savior. God laid it upon my heart several weeks ago to go back to Psalm 22 which is a picture of Jesus’ crucifixion prophesied by David 1000 years before it would occur. God confirmed it today as Dr. Adrian Rogers spoke about it in his daily message. God is so amazing that He painted a picture of Jesus’ death on a cross when Jewish tradition used stoning and not crucifixion for a death sentence which was later introduced by the Romans. I pray that God’s glory manifested in His Son will be more real to you today than ever before. Isaiah 46: 10 says: “Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.” Let’s look at the words of Jesus pinned by David about a future event that actually was fulfilled 2000 years ago.
22: 1 states the exact words spoken by Jesus on the cross. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are You so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?” (Matthews 27:46)
22: 2-3 “O my God, I cry in the daytime, but You answer not: and by night I am not silent or find no rest.” Jesus was put on the cross at 9 in the morning and then at 12 noon the earth was covered in darkness until His death at 3. Verse 3: “But You are holy, O You Who dwell in the holy place where the praises of Israel are offered.” Jesus had taken the sin of the world upon Himself and a Holy God cannot look upon sin. (Matthew 27: 45)
22: 7-8 “All who see me laugh at me and mock me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted and rolled himself on the Lord, that He would deliver him. Let Him deliver him, seeing that He delights in him!” (Matthew 27: 39-44)
22: 11-13 “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.” A search of Bashan in scripture reveals a place of great evil and Satan is like a roaring lion—the land of Og the giant located at the base of Mt. Hermon where idol worship took place and where the fallen angels descended to earth. (Numbers 21: 31-35, Deut. 3: 1-11, 33: 22, Ps. 68: 15, 22-24)
22: 14-16 “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax; it is softened with anguish and melted down within me. My strength is dried up like a fragment of clay pottery; with thirst my tongue cleaves to my jaws; and You have brought me into the dust of death…they pierced my hands and my feet.” (John 19: 28, 31-33)
22: 17-18 “I can count all my bones; the evildoers graze at me. They part my clothing among them and cast lots for my raiment (a long, shirt-like garment, a seamless undertunic.)”(Mt. 27: 27-28, 35)
THERE IS VICTORY IN JESUS OVER SIN, DEATH, SATAN AND SEPARATION FROM GOD! Read Rom. 5: 8, 8: 1-39, 1 Pt. 3:18, I Cor. 15:57. God’s plan is perfect and He has a plan for every life in Christ Jesus. What a wondrous truth!