Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church,
located at 905 Yadkin Street in Kingsport, Tennessee, would
like to invite you to listen to a message of sovereign grace
by their pastor, Gabe Stoniker. And now, Pastor Gabe Stoniker. I would like to speak to you
today from Psalm 138. Psalm 138, we are going to be
looking at the last three verses for our text, verses six through
eight. And we will see that there is
much comfort in these verses, much comfort. There is much truth
in these verses. And I pray that the Lord will
make them a blessing to us. David began the psalm, the very
first line in the psalm, he said, I will praise thee with my whole
heart. He said, I'll praise thee with
my whole heart. And here's the reason why. This
is a good reason to praise. Our text beginning in verse six,
it says, though the Lord be high, Yet hath he respect unto the
lowly. That's a good reason, isn't it?
Though the Lord be high. Yet hath he respect unto the
lowly. Just think about that. Just think
about that. He said, though the Lord be high. That means exalted. It means
lofty. And He is. He truly is. The Lord is high above. High above. He is exalted above. I want to just stroll through
some Psalms and some verses of Scripture that say that and show
that to us. He's so high above. I want to
very quickly read through some. You're welcome to turn with me
if you want to, or you can get a pen and write these down and
look at them later if you want to. But the first one is in Psalm
61. Psalm 61, verse two, it says,
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." The rock that is higher than
I, how high is he? Well, he's higher than me and
he's higher than you. Higher than I, David said. Over
in Psalm 87, Psalm 87 verse five says, and of Zion it shall be
said, This and that man was born in her and the highest himself
shall establish her." The highest himself. He himself is the highest. What that means is there's no
rival to him. There's no rival. He's the highest. Psalm 92 verse 1 says, It is a good thing to give thanks
unto the Lord and to sing praises unto thy name, O most high. He is the most high. Verse eight right here in Psalm
92, it says, but thou Lord are most high forevermore. Never will he cease to be the
most high, never. He is the most high and he is
the most high forevermore. That's wonderful news. Psalm
97 verse nine says, for thou, Lord, art high above all the
earth. Thou art exalted far above all
gods, not only high above all men, but high above all little
g gods, all of the gods that men have made up in their mind.
The false gods, imaginary gods, he's high above all of them.
Psalm 99 verse two says, the Lord is great in Zion and he
is high above all the people. In Isaiah 40 it says, all nations
before him are as nothing and they are counted to him as less
than nothing and vanity, that means empty, they're counted
to him as emptiness. Why is that? It's because he's
so far above them, he's so far above us, he's so far above all
things, all things. Over in Psalm 113, Psalm 113 verse 4, it says, the
Lord is high above all nations and His glory above the heavens. David said, our God is in the
heavens. That's what David said. Where's
your God, David? He's in the heavens. Our God
is in the heavens and He is. He is, but he's not just in the
heavens. He's above the heavens. He's
far above the heavens. He's above the host. He's above
the angels. He's above everything that's
there. His glory is above it all. Psalm
139, verse six. It says, such knowledge is too
wonderful for me. It is high. I cannot attain unto
it. David said, he is so high. He said, I can't even fathom
how high he is. He said, that knowledge is just
too wonderful for me. I can't even attain to it. I
can't even enter into it. But if you look back at our text
right here, Psalm 138 verse six, it says, though the Lord be high,
yet hath he respect unto the lowly. Now that's beautiful. That is beautiful. That is good
news. That's wonderful news. Even though he is so high, and
so lofty and so exalted, yet the word of God says, even so,
he has respect. That means he sees, it means
he beholds, it means he thinks on the lowly, the lowly. Who are the lowly? The definition
of that word is the humbled, the humiliated, the broken, the
depressed because of their sin, because of their sin. All because
of their sin. It's always because of their
sin. All who are broken and contrite
because of their sin. All those who cry, I'm such a
sinner before you. Woe is me, I'm such a wretched
man. Not only because of what I do,
but because of what I am. Such a sinner. Even though he is so high, he
says in his own word, he has respect to the lowly, the broken
over their sin. He beholds them, he thinks on
them. How amazing is that? What does
he think on concerning them? Well, Isaiah 57 says, Isaiah 57 verse 15, it says,
for thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity,
whose name is holy. I dwell in the high and lofty
place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit. He said, that's who I dwell with. to revive the spirit of the humble
and to revive the heart of the contrite ones, to revive it. Verse 18 right here says, I have
seen his ways. The Lord God said, I have seen
his ways and I will heal him. I will lead him also and restore
comforts unto him and to his mourners. God himself is the
one. God himself is the one that breaks
men and women over their sin. If a man or a woman becomes broken
over their sin, his or her sin, God is the one who did that.
God is the one who revealed his holiness to them and revealed
their sinfulness to them and caused them to see that they
don't stack up before him. They're not worthy to stand in
his presence and they see what they've done and see what they
are. God is the one who breaks men and women over their sin.
Only God's people are truly broken over their sin. I'm not talking
about just someone who says, well, I shouldn't have told that
lie or I shouldn't have, I'm a, you know, I sinned once last
week. No, no, no. I'm talking about
men and women who are crying, God be merciful to me. I cannot
get away from this. If you don't reach down and lay
hold of me, I'm going to die in my sin. Only God's people
are truly broken, I mean broken, over their sin before him. God
is the one who does that but God himself is also the one who
raises that sinner back up. God is the one who brings the
good news of his word to sinners. Therefore, if a man or a woman
has been made lowly by God, Then these are his thoughts toward
that center. This is what he raises that center back up with.
He says, you're mine in the word. He says, I'm speaking to sinners.
I'm speaking to wretched, filthy, rotten centers who have rebelled
against me. This is what he says, you're
mine. In spite of your lowliness, I've
redeemed you. I came to redeem sinners like
you. Worst of the worst. The Apostle Paul cried, I'm the
chief, I'm the chief. You're mine, he says. I have
redeemed you. I have purchased you. I have
washed you. Yes, you are as filthy as you
think you are, but you're washed. I've washed you. I have made
you clean. I have made you holy. I've made
you pure. And I've done every bit of that
with my blood. I've done every bit of that in
my blood. Yes, you're a filthy sinner,
but you're a sinner who has been washed in the blood of the Lamb. And he says, I have and I will
raise you up and seat you right here in the heavens with me.
That's what his word says. He has and he will. Raise up
his people and they will be seated forever with him, in him. David said, this is what he said,
though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly.
Oh, what a reason to praise. Well, back in Psalm 138, verse
six says, though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto
the lowly. It says, but the proud, but the
proud, those who don't see themselves to be lowly, which is a lot of
people on this earth, many, many people on this earth. Those who
are not ashamed to stand before God. Those who are not ashamed
to stand in their natural condition. Those who think, I've done some
good works with these hands. I've done right before God. God
is happy with me. God is pleased with me. I'm acceptable
to God. Those who are not broken. No, I'm not broken. I'm pretty
proud of myself. not broken and not contrite before
him over their sin. Verse six says, Though the Lord
be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly, but the proud
he knoweth afar off. Now far off means he's going
to destroy them. That's the truth. He's going
to destroy them, the proud, the self righteous. The self-saved,
the self-earned that says I've done what God has required of
me, I did it. Our Lord said I didn't come to
call the righteous, the self-righteous, I came to call sinners and God
said concerning the proud, the self-righteous, he's going to
cast them out, far off, he's going to destroy them. Depart
from me, I never knew you, cast them into outer darkness. Proverbs
3 verse 34 says, Surely he scorneth the scorners, but he giveth grace
unto the lowly. The lowly, those who cry with
John the Baptist, I must decrease. I must decrease. What a blessing
of God it is to be brought low before him. If you are low before
him in your sin, you're a blessed person. God has done that. If
you're crying, God, be merciful to me, please. I need your mercy.
You're a blessed person. God has done that. All who are
brought low by God over their sin are raised up by God. All of them. Verse seven says,
though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me. thou shalt stretch forth thine
hand against the wrath of mine enemies and thy right hand shall
save me." He said, though I walk in the midst of trouble, there
are all kinds of trouble in this life, there's all kinds but the
trouble he's talking about right here is the time of trouble. That great moment of judgment
for my sin, that's why men and women become anguished and burdened
before God, it's because judgment must come for their sin. That
great time of trouble, this is what David said in Psalm 27,
he said, this is my hope right here, this is my hope. It's that
in that great time of trouble, That moment when judgment comes
to me because of my sin, my hope is that he will hide me in his
pavilion. Where is his pavilion? in the
person of his own self, in the shelter, in the tabernacle of
his own self. David said, my hope is that he
will hide me in his pavilion. In the secret of his tabernacle
shall he hide me. The secret of his own body. And
my hope is that he will set me up on a rock. David said that
rock is Christ. That tabernacle is Christ, that
rock is Christ. And when the flood of judgment
comes, David said, if I'm in him and standing on him, I'll
be safe. I'll be protected from the mighty
blow, that judgment over my sin. And I'll tell you, that's our
only hope. It truly is. Our only hope is not that we
can right our wrongs and fix our mistakes. It's that God put
us in Him and hid us in Him and judged us in Him. It's not in
our work for Him, our works for Him. That's what man thinks it
is. Well, what have you done for Jesus? You want to be saved,
don't you? It's not in our works for Him. It's in His great work
for us. That work that He finished on
the cross, the death of His cross. Verse seven says, though I walk
in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me. Thou shalt stretch
forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies and thy
right hand shall save me. He said, you will revive me,
you'll quicken me, you'll bring me back to life. How? He said,
your right hand. That's Christ, the right hand
of God. He said, your right hand shall
save me. How? Christ shall save me. What David is saying in that
right there is described in an old song that was written. I
love this old song. The song says, once my soul was
astray from the heavenly way and was wretched and vile as
could be, But my Savior in love gave me peace from above when
he reached down his right hand for me. When Christ Jesus reached
down for me, when he reached way down for me, I was lost and
undone without God's precious Son. But that's the moment. In
that time of trouble, that's the moment when he reached down
his hand for me. Verse 6 says, Though the Lord
be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly. But the proud
he knoweth afar off. Though I walk in the midst of
trouble, thou wilt revive me. Thou shalt stretch forth thine
hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall
save me. Now verse eight says, the Lord
will perfect that which concerneth me. The Lord will perfect. that which concerneth me." Perfect
means finish, complete. It's perfect. It's perfect. He will finish. He will complete. The Apostle Paul told the Philippians,
he which hath begun a good work in you, he will perform it until
the day of Jesus Christ. If he started it, if God has
started a work in me and in you, He will finish it. If God started
it, God will finish it. That is told to us all over the
Word of God. All over the Word of God. I'll
show you my favorite place that it's told though. Ruth chapter
3. I love this story. Ruth chapter
3. In this story, Boaz represents
Christ. The great landowner. the only
man who has the right and the ability to redeem, the only one. Ruth represents God's people,
God's chosen people, the ones that the Father chose to be the
bride of Christ. Ruined, heathen sinners, that's
who they were. And Boaz right here has just
made a promise to Ruth. Christ the Savior making a promise
to his ruined people. She came to him and she said,
if you will redeem me, you can. If you will, you can. And he
said, I most certainly will. I will. He said, I want you to
go back home to your mother-in-law. Naomi is her name. And he said,
I want you to wait right there. He said, I'll take care of it.
I'll take care of it. So Ruth goes back to Naomi and
told her what Boaz said, the Redeemer said, and this is what
Naomi said to Ruth. All right, Ruth chapter three,
verse 18. Then said she, sit still, my
daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall. For the
man will not be in rest until he have finished the thing this
day. She said, you sit still, do nothing. Wait on the Lord. Wait on the
Redeemer. If He started this, He will not
stop until it's finished. You just look to Him. You just
wait on Him. He started this, He'll finish
it. That's the truth of the gospel.
That's the glory of the gospel. Back in our text, Psalm 138,
verse six says, Though the Lord be high, yet hath He respect
unto the lowly. but the proud he knoweth afar
off. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive
me. Thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath
of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me. The Lord
will perfect that which concerneth me. Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth
forever, forever. His mercy, our forgiveness in
his blood, it will endure forever. And he ended verse eight by saying,
forsake not the works of thine own hand. Please don't forsake
the works of thine hand. Do you know what the works of
his hand are? Ephesians 2 verse 10 says, we are his workmanship. If we are his people, if God
chose us and gave us to Christ, we're the works of his hand.
And David said, please don't forsake the works of your own
hand. Please don't forsake us. He said, I'll never leave you.
I'll never forsake you. If the father gave you to me,
I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake you. Even
though I'm high and lofty, I've set my affection on the low,
the lowly, the needy, and I've purposed in my heart to save
them. And that's what I'll do. That's what I'll do. That's why
David said at the beginning of the Psalm, I'll praise thee with
my whole heart." What a good reason to praise him. I pray
the Lord will make that a blessing to us. Now I have just a couple
of minutes left in our time on the program and I would like
to take this moment to tell you about something. The congregation
here at Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church, we have an app. For all
internet devices, cell phones, tablets, computers, you can download
our app. And the app is called Kingsport
Sovereign Grace Church. And if you download that app,
you will have access to everything that we preach and everything
that we load onto the internet. All of these TV broadcasts are
loaded onto a website called Sermon Audio, and that's the
app we have. And all of the messages that
we bring in our worship services, all of our Sunday school lessons,
they're all loaded onto this website. And if you would like
to have access to everything that we preach, just download
that app and it's all right there. We will also still be glad to
send you CD copies of anything that we preach, but for most
people who have that capability, it's all right there. I also
would like to encourage you to come and worship with us. We
preach the word, like Paul told Timothy, we preach the word of
God, and you can see that and hear that in our messages here.
We preach Christ in the word, Christ crucified in the word. And if you believe that, and
if you look to Christ, and if you look to his word, then I
want to encourage you to come and worship with us. I pray the
Lord will make this a blessing to all of us. Till next week,
good day. 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, log on to
our website at ksgctn.org. If you would like to come and
worship with us, our service times are Sunday morning Bible
study at 10 o'clock a.m., worship at 1045 a.m., and 6 o'clock p.m.,
Wednesday evening at 730 p.m. Please tune in next week for
another message of God's free and sovereign grace.