Please don't pick up stones to throw at me, but I hope and pray that you all know that the chapter breaks, chapters and verses are not part of the inspired Bible...Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit did not did not give us the chapter breaks and verses...they were added latter for obvious reasons. I say all that to note that as Jesus was dying on the cross, when HE cried out in Matt 27:46 “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” There are many conservative scholars that believe that HE was pointing to Psalm 22. In Jesus day the way they pointed to a passage was to give the first part of the passage and that is what Jesus did in crying out in a loud voice “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” HE WAS POINTING THEM AND US TO PSALM 22.
Remember part of the horror of being crucified was suffocation that is why HIS words from the cross are few. Let me exhort you to let the Holy Spirit take you to the foot of the cross and then slowly read Psalm 22 from beginning to end and hear Jesus words from the cross. As you read, listen, listen, listen! Not only did HE says these words to those present but HE said them to a "people yet to be born." If you look at humanity throughout history the problem is that we don't listen. My wife, Diane, will confirm that I struggle in this area:) What do we see in 2 Ch 24:19-20 Yet He sent prophets to them, to bring them back to the Lord; and they testified against them, but they would not listen. In Psalm 22 Jesus is speaking loudly to us if we will have ears to hear. HE is saying these words to you and to me...LET'S LISTEN!
Psalm 22:30-31 It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation, 31 They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, That He has done this.
As the people yet to be born, that are now born, what do we do? Our reading in Romans 12 spells it out clearly for us. Because of the incredible mercies of God we are called to be transformed to HIM...remember way back an theme that emerged in our readings...beholding is becoming, in fixing our eyes on Jesus we are transformed and we are conformed to HIS image. How do we become? We become by belonging to the body, the church (Romans 12:4-80). As we behold and belong we begin to behave like Jesus, the one who came NOT TO BE SERVED BUT TO SERVE. So we behold, belong, behave and in the midst of that we become, we become like HIM, we are transformed. It is all there perfectly laid out in Romans 12:1-21.
Romans 12:1-3 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
Oh God, Holy Father, Abba,
fill us with YOUR Holy Spirit, then through us, YOUR children let Romans 12 be a reality in our class, in our church family, in our church family in America and around the world. Let us burn with a white-hot passion for YOU and YOUR glory and as we burn with Christ in us the hope of glory please let the world see Jesus. Jesus be lifted up and draw many to YOU, call them out of darkness into YOUR marvelous light...for YOUR glory and our joy in YOU.
love,
m