Crying Out and Raised Up

In this stirring and reflective sermon, we journey through the emotional depths of Psalm 22 and witness the fullness of Christ's redemptive work from the shadow of the cross to the glory of resurrection. This message draws us into the sorrow, joy, and ultimate hope found only in Jesus Christ. From the prophetic cries of abandon, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?" to the victorious hope in the latter verses, we are reminded that the joy of salvation was purchased at an unfathomable cost. We're challenged not to avoid the grief of the Gospel, but to enter into it, because every happy psalm is made possible by the sad ones. Through reflections on aging, loss, family, and ministry, the sermon invites us to see Christ's suffering not as a theological abstraction, but as a deeply personal sacrifice made on behalf of His people. We are taken to the moment when God did not spare His own Son—the true Lamb—offered with no substitute. Christ, pierced and humiliated, willingly bore the wrath of God so that we might be healed and restored. And now, we live in the light of that sacrifice. We remember His death each Lord's Day because in that death, sin and death were crushed. By His stripes, we are healed. We rejoice that we can sing the final verses of the psalm because the first 18 have been fulfilled. Let us never move on too quickly from the cross—because it is not just the hard part—it is the glorious part. "By His stripes we are healed." Come, remember His death until He comes. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 https://refopc.net/ [email protected]