Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church,
located at 2709 Rock Springs Road in Kingsport, Tennessee,
would like to invite you to listen to a message of sovereign grace
by their pastor, Gabe Stoniker. For information and service times,
visit www.ksgc.church. And now, Gabe Stoniker. We are
going to be in the Psalms today. Psalm 61 will be the particular
Psalm that we are in. And I love the Psalms. I believe
God's people, all of God's people, especially love the Psalms. They
are so relatable. They're so comforting. You can
truly enter into what David and the different men who wrote the
Psalms were feeling. And in Psalm 61, David is praying
a prayer in this Psalm. And you can tell that he's very
urgent about it. Very urgent. He's very desperate
in this moment. And he's in a place of great
need. And that's something that I can enter into, and I'm sure
you can too. In verse one, he said, hear my
cry. Oh God, attend unto my prayer,
hear my cry, and attend unto my prayer. My cry, my prayer. While you're hearing the cry
and the prayers of other sinners in need, He said, Lord, hear
me too. Please don't forget about me. I'm sure you've heard the
song, Pass Me Not. O gentle Savior, hear my humble
cry. While on others thou art calling,
do not pass me by. Another song says, even me, even
me, let thy blessing fall on me. Hear me, hear me. Blind Bartimaeus cried, Jesus,
thou son of David, have mercy on me. me. Lord, while you're having mercy,
please don't forget about me. Verse 1, David said, Hear my
cry, O God, and attend unto my prayer. Would you please hear
my desperate cry and attend unto my great urgent need, my great
need, because you're my only hope. David is crying out to
his only hope, and that's what all of God's people do. They
cry out saying, Lord, you're all I have. You're the only hope
I have. Verse two, he said, From the
end of the earth will I cry unto thee. When my heart is overwhelmed,
lead me to the rock that is higher than I. From the end of the earth
will I cry unto thee when my heart is overwhelmed. Overwhelmed. There are going to be many times
in a believer's life, a true believer, there will be many
times when he or she becomes overwhelmed. And every time what
he or she needs is Christ. every single time, lead me back
to Christ. I need Christ. That's what we
need. We need Jesus Christ. When God
initially deals with a man or a woman, he puts that person
in a place that will lead that person only to Christ when God
is purposed to save a person, meaning to open blind eyes and
to give life to a heart. He puts that person in a place
that will only lead that person to Christ. He leads his people
to Christ, and that is an overwhelming place. It's an all consuming place.
It is a humbling place. Man must come down. From his
own high horse. If he's going to be led to the
high and holy God, who is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
it is an awakening place. It's an urgent place. Once that
center is caused to see that he has no other cry, but this. Hear my cry, O God. Attend unto
my prayer. From the end of the earth will
I cry unto thee. When my heart is overwhelmed,
lead me to the rock that is higher than I. That's the place God's
people are brought to, where they see that the rock is higher
than they are. There is an initial moment when
God reveals the rock that is high. to one of his children. And then God continues to reveal
that rock to that child the rest of his or her days on this earth.
And when he does, something happens every single time when God reveals
the rock. Something happens every time
the first time that revelation comes and every time thereafter.
Something happens and it's this right here. belief and comfort. That happens every single time
a center sees the rock, fear, belief and comfort. All right. I want to show that
to you from the scripture. I want to show that to you. Let's
start with this right here. The rock is Christ. The Rock is the Lord Jesus Christ. Over in Deuteronomy 32, verse
1 says, Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and hear, O
earth, the words of my mouth. My doctrine shall drop as the
rain, my speech shall distill as the dew, as the small rain
upon the tender herb and as the showers upon the grass. because
I will publish the name of the Lord. Escribe ye greatness unto
our God. He is the rock. His work is perfect, for all
his ways are judgment. A God of truth and without iniquity,
just and right is he. He is the rock. Christ is the
rock. Over in 2 Samuel chapter 22,
it says in 2 Samuel 22 verse 1, David spake unto the Lord
the words of this song in the day that the Lord had delivered
him out of the hand of all his enemies and out of the hand of
Saul. He was so happy deliverance had
come. And he said, the Lord is my rock
and my fortress and my deliverer. The God of my rock in him will
I trust. He is my shield and the horn
of my salvation, my high tower and my refuge. Who's he talking
about? He said, I'm talking about my
savior. That's what he said in second
Samuel 22 verse three. I'm talking about my savior.
Thou savest me from violence. My Savior, who is my Savior?
Jesus Christ, my rock. He's my Savior. Somebody will
say, well, no, this is the Old Testament. That's not speaking
of Christ. That's speaking of God. Well, that's who God is. Jesus Christ is God. Jesus Christ is the rock. Jesus Christ is the eternal God
of the Old Testament, the New Testament, Every Testament there
is. It's Jesus Christ. I read this
to you often, but I'm going to read it again. Luke 24, verse
26. It says, ought not Christ to
have suffered these things and to enter into his glory and beginning
at Moses? And that's where we just were
in Deuteronomy. I had you listen to Deuteronomy.
That's Moses. He said, beginning at Moses.
And all the prophets We were just there in second Samuel.
He's one of the prophets beginning at Moses and all the prophets.
He expounded unto them in all the scripture, the things concerning
him self Christ himself, John five. Our Lord here is condemning
the religious Pharisees. He's condemning the Pharisees.
And in John chapter five, verse 39, he said, search the scriptures
for in them. You think you have eternal life.
He's saying, but you don't because you're missing me. That's what
he's telling them right here. You're not seeing the truth concerning
me. He said, search the scriptures
for in them. You think you have eternal life
and they are they which testify of me. And you will not come
to me that you might have life. I receive not honor from man. He said, I receive not honor
for man. They think that I'm just God's
middleman and people do. They think Jesus Christ is just
God's middleman. just God's son, just his helpless,
pitiful son. Verse 40, he said, you will not
come to me that you might receive life. I receive not honor from
men, but I know you that you have not the love of God in you. They said, oh, we love God. He
constantly told them, God is standing right in front of you
and you don't love me. You have not the love of God
in you. Verse 43, he said, I am come
in my father's name and you receive me not. If another shall come
in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe
which receive honor one of another and seek not the honor that cometh
from God only? Do not think that I will accuse
you to the Father. There is one that accuseth you,
even Moses, in whom you trust. For had you believed Moses, you
would have believed me, for he wrote of me." That's what Jesus
Christ said. He wrote of me. Moses was writing
about me. Jesus Christ, the Lord Jesus
Christ. In John chapter eight. The Lord
is condemning the religious Jews here. He was constantly condemning
and condemning for. Ignorance concerning his word
and ignorance in the scripture, and he said in John eight, verse
56, Your father, Abraham, rejoiced to see my day. They kept speaking
of Abraham. Abraham's our father. He said,
well, Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was
glad. Then said the Jews unto him,
thou art not yet 50 years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus
said unto them, verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham
was, I am. Before he was, I am. He said,
when God dealt with Abraham, all of those dealings that God
had with Abraham, Christ said, that was me. That was me. First Corinthians chapter 10
in verse one, Paul said, moreover, brethren, I would not that you
should be ignorant. how that all our fathers were
under the cloud and all passed through the sea and were all
baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea. And did all eat
that same spiritual meat when Moses led them out in the wilderness,
they all ate the same spiritual meat. Verse four says, and did
all drink the same spiritual drink for they drank of that
spiritual rock that followed them and that rock. Christ in
the Old Testament, all of that account of the wilderness, Moses
leading the children of Israel, everything that happened. He
said that was Christ. That was Christ, that was Jesus
Christ, if a sinner ever truly sees Christ. That sinner is going
to see the rock. To see Christ is to see the rock,
the rock of God. The judgment of God, the holiness
of God. When God came down on Mount Sinai,
you remember the story of when he gave his law and he told Moses
to go up and God came down and and that whole mountain exploded
with fire. The whole mountain was on fire.
That was Christ who came down. It says when he comes back, he's
coming back in flaming fire. The rock descended on that rock. To truly see Christ is not to
see gentle Jesus meek and mild. It's to see a stone of stumbling
and a rock of offense. Matthew 21. Listen to what Matthew
21 says. This is Matthew 21. Verse 42,
our Lord right here again is condemning the religious. Jews,
you know these who are. Who believe they have a righteousness
of their own there? As some people worded, you know,
goody two shoes better than you. That was the that was the religious
Jews. But they rejected Christ for
who he was. They were looking to themselves
and they were not looking to him. They did not acknowledge
him and they did not honor him for who he was. And in Matthew
21 verse 42, Jesus saith unto them, did you never read in the
scriptures the stone which the builders rejected? The same has
become the head of the corner. This is the Lord's doing and
it is marvelous in our eyes. Therefore say I unto you, the
kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation
bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this
stone for mercy, whoever falls on this stone for mercy, God,
rock of God, be merciful to me. Whoever shall fall on this stone
shall be broken. broken from pride, broken from
sin, broken from arrogance, self-righteousness. But he said, on whomsoever it
shall fall, it will grind him to powder. It will grind him
to powder. And verse 46 right here says
it made them very mad hearing that. They sought to lay hands
on him. They wanted to kill him for saying
that. Now, when this truth is declared to men and women, who
Christ truly is, and His sovereign power over all things, His eternal
power, His eternal sovereignty, especially over man, especially
over the salvation of man, the outcome of man. And when they
see His sovereign right to do what He wants to do with whoever
He wants to do it, everything is truly in His hands. And his
declaration of judgment on all who are not made to bow. Because
of sin, when that declaration is heard. One of two things happens
when people hear this, one of two things happens, either men
and women get mad and they reject it. Or they get scared and they
bow. And I'm going to tell us this,
every knee is going to bow. Every knee is going to bow either
now or later. Mercy is in bowing right now.
Judgment is in bowing later. Being made to bow in the day
of judgment. Salvation is evidenced when men and women are caused
to bow right now. Oh, may that be us. Mercy comes
to sinners when they are made to realize right now this rock
is higher than I. That's a very merciful place
to be brought to. When our view of him goes from
just being Jesus, you know, men and talk about Jesus. Well, Jesus
said this and Jesus said that Jesus did this. When our view
goes from just Jesus to the Christ. That's a merciful place to be
brought to. When it goes from our equal, me and Jesus have
a good thing going. We're going to work together
and make this happen when it goes from being our equal to
our God. Jesus Christ, our God, we shall
all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. When that happens,
mercy has come. Mercy has come, fearing this
stone falling on us is what will make us fall on this stone. That
fear is what will make us fall for mercy. A sinner will not
fall for mercy until he or she is made to fall for mercy. That's
why Psalm 111 verse 10 says the fear of the Lord is the beginning
of wisdom. Have you ever heard that verse
of scripture? Have we been made to see how true it is? The fear
of the Lord, the Lord God, the Lord Jesus Christ. is the beginning
of wisdom. That fear is what makes a sinner
fall for mercy. Lord, I need mercy. You need
mercy. We need mercy. We are sinners
against him, whether we realize it or not, whether we want to
admit it or not. We are sinners who need mercy.
Psalm 36, verse one says the transgression of the wicked.
Is this right here? There is no fear of God before
their eyes. That's a great transgression.
When a sinner is truly led to Christ, the first thing that
comes in seeing him as he is, is fear. Fear. A sinner will see this rock is
higher than I. So much higher than I. And it'll
strike fear, strikes fear in me. All right. That's the first
thing. The second thing is When a sinner sees Christ as
he is, the second thing that comes is faith. The first thing
is fear, and the second thing is faith. A sinner will be convinced
this rock is higher than I. A sinner hears that the rock
is higher, and then a sinner believes this rock is higher
than I. When a sinner truly sees Christ
and is truly led to Christ, That sinner will see whose hand salvation
is truly in, and whose hands power and might truly belongs
to, and whose hand sovereignty is truly in. And that sinner
will see the author and the finisher. And that sinner will finally
realize I can't, only he can. I see him as he is, I see me
as I am. And I realize I can't only he
can. I am not only he is. If he doesn't
do it, it's not going to be done. That's the place I have been
brought to. I pray that's the place we have been brought to.
If he does not do it, it's not going to be done. He is all,
I am nothing. It takes the power of God and
the Spirit of God Almighty to reveal that to a person. And
it calls that person to believe it, truly believe it. He is all,
I am nothing. He is all, I'm nothing. This
rock truly is higher than I. Truly. Let me read 2 Timothy
1 to you. 2 Timothy 1, verse 8, it says,
be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord.
nor of me, his prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions
of the gospel according to the power of God. Now listen to verse
nine. It says, who hath saved us and called us. And do you hear how both of those
are past tense who have saved us and called us with an holy
calling. not according to our works, but
according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us
in Christ Jesus before the world began. What a verse of scripture
that is. When did our salvation take place?
Before the world again. Let me read verse nine again.
Who hath saved us? saved us and called us with an
holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his
own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus
before the world began, but is now made manifest by the appearing
of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It's revealed to us through his
coming who hath abolished death. That's what he did on the cross
of Calvary. That's what he accomplished. and hath brought life and immortality
to light through the gospel, the preaching of the gospel.
Verse 11, Paul said, where unto I am appointed a preacher and
an apostle and a teacher of the Gentiles for the witch calls. I also suffer these things. Nevertheless,
I am not ashamed. And here's the reason why he
said, for, I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that
he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against
that day." What Paul said was, my rock is higher than me. I
believe and I'm persuaded that it is all in his hands and he
has done it and he will do it. Everything that needs to be done,
it's in his hands. with the fear of realizing who
he is, will come the faith of believing on who he is. And that
faith will cry, not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto
thy name, give all the glory. You're the rock, and the rock
is higher than I. With every child of God, everyone,
this is so every child of God. Once that belief sets in. Comfort
sets in. Once that belief sets in, comfort
sets in. That's the third thing that happens.
Once a center realizes that this God is my God. And my God has
saved me. And even though I was just as
rebellious and just as ignorant of him as every other soul on
this earth, even though there was no difference in me from
anybody else, God chose to have mercy on me. You say, how do
you know that? Paul said, I know that because
he put this fear in me and he put faith in me. And he showed
me that he authored it and he finished my salvation in his
own blood on the cross. He caused me to believe it. In
in that, he said, I'm now redeemed in the blood. And I believe it,
I'm washed in the blood, according to his word, and I believe it
made clean in the blood. And I can now in him approach
his throne boldly. I'm not an enemy anymore, according
to his word. I believe it. I'm a member of
the family. How amazing. I can come to my
Lord and my savior anytime I have a need, anytime I need help,
relief, assurance, comfort. Once that is settled in the heart
of a child of God, that child will cry, lead me to the rock
that is higher than I. Lead me to the rock, I need him. I want to be with Him. I must have Him. I must have Him. He is altogether lovely to me. It happens that way every time.
Every time. Fear, this rock is higher than
I. Belief, this rock is higher than
I. Comfort. Lead me to the rock
that is higher than I. Just look at the stories. You
read the stories of Abraham, Moses, Job, David, Isaiah, Saul
of Tarsus. You remember his story on the
road to Damascus? That's my story. I pray your
story. If God leads us to Christ, it'll
be fear, belief, and comfort. Lord, lead us to the rock. that
is higher than I. You have been listening to a
message by Gabe Stoniker, pastor of Kingsport Sovereign Grace
Church in Kingsport, Tennessee. If you would like a copy of this
message or to hear other messages of sovereign grace, you can call
or write to the number and address on your screen or visit www.ksgc.church. Tune in at this same time next
week for another message of God's free and sovereign grace.