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 have a message for you today
from Psalm 130. Psalm 130. This is a precious Precious psalm all of God's Word
is precious Everything that he has to say is precious But this
psalm in particular is one that I personally Love and enter into
every time I read it. This is just a wonderful wonderful
psalm You know, there's a difference in knowing that I need to cry
out for mercy and crying out for mercy. There's
a difference in that. If you asked many people, I believe
they would know. Sinners need to cry out for mercy. But there's a difference in knowing
that I need to cry out for mercy and crying out for mercy. There's
a difference. There's a difference. There's
a difference in knowing that Christ came to save centers. Honestly, who does not know that
Christ came to save centers? But there's a difference in knowing
that Christ came to save centers and being a center who desperately
needs to be saved. There's a difference. The difference is in the head
and the heart. There's a difference. Here in Psalm 130, David penned
the true heart experience of a child of God. Solomon said,
out of the heart are these issues. These issues are not dealt with
in the mind. Now, when God comes to a center,
he affects the mind. He teaches the mind. He gives
a changed mind. That's what repentance is called.
But when God goes to work on a center, he goes to work all
the way down into the heart of that center. This thing becomes
real. This thing becomes life. And there's a difference. There's
a difference. David here is going to tell us
the true heart experience of a child of God. Every soul that
is born into this world is born into the cesspool of sin. David
said we were conceived in sin. That's where it started. We came
forth from our mother's womb speaking lies. It immediately
started. You don't have to teach children
how to lie. We don't send them to school and let that be one
of their subjects. Okay, children, now this is how
you lie. We don't do that. That's already in the heart.
We're conceived and born into the cesspool of sin. Every soul
begins in the depths and the darkness of sin. Every soul. Not only is that soul in sin,
and not only is that soul living sin and loving sin and naturally
doing sin, the soul has no idea that he's in it. No idea that
he's doing it. No idea. We're all dead to it. Even though we are alive in sin,
we're dead to the knowledge of it. dead to it, blind to it. But God chose not to leave his
children, those that he loved, those that he bought, those that
he purchased, were bought with a price, those that he purposed
to call to himself. God chose not to leave his particular
children in that deep darkness. He chose to bring them out. And
one by one, in His good time, He opens their eyes. He opens
their eyes through the Word, through Him sending a messenger
with His Word. God uses what He calls the foolishness
of preaching, meaning what men believe is foolishness. That's
what God uses to open the eyes of His children. They start to
see in the Word. And when he does that, he causes
them to see the darkness. The darkness that they did not
see before. He causes them to see what a
vile, horrible, putrefying cesspool of sin they're in. They didn't
see it before. Had no idea. And when they see that, something
happens. Soon as they see it, something happens, just like
Saul of Tarsus. Just like Saul, it said of each
one of his people, behold, he prayeth. When God came to Saul
and opened his eyes and blinded him, he told Ananias, I want
you to go deliver my message to Saul of Tarsus. He was going
to change his name to the Apostle Paul. And Ananias said, I've
heard of him. He hates you and he hates your
people. God told Ananias, behold, look at him. He's praying. He is praying. This really happens
and it happens in sincerity. The sincerity of the heart. God's
child does not pray. He does not pray to God because
he's told to pray. He's not trying to repeat someone
else's prayer. He's not doing what he sees and
thinks ought to be done. This is a true heart experience
of every child of God after God opens his eyes. Every time that
heart acknowledges to God, number one, where I am. That's the first thing the heart
prays out to God, cries out to God, where I am. If you look
at Psalm 130 verse one says, out of the depths, out of the
depths. There's a song in the hymn book
we use here at the church, and it says, out of my bondage, I'm
gonna skip down through some of the lines and not read it
all to you, but this is where the song is coming from. Out
of my bondage, sorrow and night, out of my sickness, out of my
want, that means lack, out of my lack, out of my sin, Out of
my shameful failure and loss. That's what God opens the eyes
to see. Out of Earth's sorrows. Out of life's storms. Out of
distress. Out of unrest and arrogant pride. That's where I am. I'm in my
own arrogant pride. The song goes on to say out of
myself. Out of despair. Out of the fear
and dread of the tomb. Out of the depths of ruin untold. Ruin that could not be imagined.
Ruin that I could have never imagined. He said, that's where
I am. That's what God calls his people
to see. This is where I am. Now, does our heart cry the same
thing? Has God revealed this to us and does our heart cry,
Lord, this is where I am. I'm in the depths. If you don't
do something for me, if you leave me alone, I'm going to die down
here in the depths. This is where I am. I'm in the
depths. Here's the second thing. This
heart will truly cry to God. This is what I'm doing. Verse
one says, out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord. I'm not demanding. I'm not demanding. I'm crying. Oh, I don't approach you in arrogance. I don't approach you thinking
that you owe me anything or that I deserve anything. I'm not telling
you what to do. I'm crying. I'm not announcing,
I'm crying. That Pharisee and that publican
went into the temple to pray. Luke 18, that's the story. And
that Pharisee, he prayed in all of his arrogance and all of his
pride. He told God who he was and what he had done and all
of his, expecting God to accept him based on the resume he was
offering God. The publican would not lift up
so much as his eyes unto heaven, but he smote upon his breast.
He smote upon his heart. He was beating his heart, crying,
God be merciful to me, the sinner. Which one did God say had his
eyes open, was justified before him? the publican not the pharisee
the publican oh lord this is where i am i'm in the depths
and this is what i'm doing i am crying unto thee lord i'm crying
and this is how i'm doing it as a beggar as a beggar verse
2 says lord hear my voice Let thine ears be attentive to the
voice of my supplications. I am begging supplications. I'm begging Lord, please hear
me. Please hear my cry. That's all
I can do is cry and beg you to hear me. While the world is asking this
question, what will you do with Jesus? They stand up and tell
people, now what are you going to do with Jesus? God's children
are asking, Lord, what are you going to do with me? What are you going to do with
me? That's a sinner who's had his
eyes opened. God Almighty, what are you going
to do with me? Just like blind Bartimaeus, don't
you love that story? That poor man, Blind Bartimaeus,
he was a beggar. He was a beggar, and that's what
all of God's people are. They're beggars, and they know
it. They know it. Blind Bartimaeus knew he was
a beggar, and all of God's people do, too. They cry, I'm in the
depths, and I'm crying. Please hear me, please. Now,
here's the next thing that a child of God who's had his eyes open
will acknowledge to his God. I'm a sinner. I'm a sinner. You ask people
that question. Are you a sinner? Most of the time, the answer
is no. But a true child of God who's
had his eyes opened will say absolutely, 100%, I'm a sinner. Verse three, David said, if thou,
Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, oh Lord, who shall stand? Who could pass your inspection?
Lord, if you marked our sins, there's not a soul on this earth
who could pass your inspection. Look with me at Psalm 90, back
a few pages to Psalm 90, verse eight says, Thou hast set our
iniquities before thee. You see our sin. And then it
goes on to say our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
Lord, you not only mark the things that can be seen on the outside,
the things I see and everybody else sees, you mark the things
that can't be seen. the sins of the heart. You mark
the sins that I don't even know about. You mark the things that
I do know about in my mind and heart that nobody else does,
and you even mark the things that I don't know about. The
sins that I commit, and I'm not even aware of them. Secret sins. This is the realization God brings
his child to. Lord, who shall stand? Who shall stand? I can't stand. I'm a sinner. I'm a sinner. No sinner can stand in your presence. Who shall stand? He that hath
clean hands and a pure heart. I can't stand. I'm a sinner. I'm in the depths and I'm crying
and I'm begging because I'm a sinner. And Lord, this is what I need.
This is what I need. I need forgiveness. I need forgiveness. If you look back in Psalm 130
verse four says, but there is forgiveness with the, that thou
mayest be feared. There is forgiveness with the
I've heard about it. I've heard where I can find it.
You sent a man to preach the truth of your word to me and
he told me about it. He told me where I could find
it. There is forgiveness with thee. That's where it is. There is forgiveness with thee. I've been told it's not in my
morality. If we had the time. I would take
you through scripture after scripture after scripture of good, fine,
moral people in this word that God said, depart from me, I never
knew you. That Pharisee in the temple was
one of them. God reveals to the heart of his
child, it's not in my morality. I want to be a moral person.
I don't want to be a sinner. Shall I continue in sin that
grace may abound? God forbid. God, deliver me from
my sin. Take it from me. I don't want
to be a sinner. I don't want to be a rebel against
God. God helped me, but God reveals to his child that my hope of
forgiveness is not in my morality and my good deeds, even though
that's what I desire to do. It's not in me turning over that
new leaf, like everybody tells you to do. It's not in my gifts. It's not in anything I can gift
God. Any offering that I can make.
It's not in any work that I can produce. There is forgiveness
with thee. There's forgiveness with thee.
Lord, you are the forgiver. You are the forgiver. Psalm 86
says, for thou, Lord, art good to me. and ready to forgive and
plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. That's good
news. Let me read that to you again.
For thou, Lord, art good and ready to forgive and plenteous
in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. Not unto every soul
that just says, Lord, I'm calling on you because I'm worthy to
call on you and I've done everything that you'll be happy with. Unto
all them that call upon him like David is calling upon him. All of them that call upon him
like every single child of God calls upon him. Lord, I'm calling. I'm crying out. I'm begging for
forgiveness. There is forgiveness with you.
I believe you. believe you there's forgiveness
with you and only you Look with me at Isaiah 55 Isaiah chapter
55 verse 7 it says let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous
man his thoughts and Let him return unto the Lord Let the
wicked man forsake what he believes is the way of redemption. And
the unrighteous man, thinking that he can go now and earn his
own righteousness, let him leave all that. And let him return
unto the Lord. And he will have mercy upon him. And to our God, for he will abundantly
pardon, abundantly. He will abundantly forgive. Every
soul who comes to him in sin, in helplessness, begging
for mercy, how can a wicked, helpless sinner, an unrighteous,
down in the depths of the cesspool sinner, how can that sinner receive
forgiveness with God? He's coming for forgiveness.
How can he receive it? that just and holy God. Turn
with me over to Ephesians 1. Ephesians chapter 1. This is
a precious chapter. I love this one too. Ephesians
1 verse 3 says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places in Christ. That's the message of the scripture.
Always the message of the scripture. Where are God's blessings found?
In Christ. It's in Christ. Verse seven says,
in whom? In Christ. We have redemption. Through his blood. the forgiveness
of sins according to the riches of his grace. In order for a
sinner who is down in the depths in the cesspool of sin, in order
for that sinner to receive forgiveness and redemption, Christ is going
to have to trade places with him. That's what has to happen. It's in Him. It's in Him trading
places with the sinner. Christ had to come down. Why
did Christ come? Why did Christ die on the cross?
Why? Christ came down into the depths
of the cesspool. Here we are. Out of the depths. He came all the way down into
the depths of the cesspool, and He took our condition, everything
we're crying that we are, He took our condition upon Himself,
the condition of every soul God chose to save, and He suffered
the punishment for that soul in his or her place. Verse seven says, in whom we
have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according
to the riches of his grace. This right here is the only hope
for a sinner, only hope. And this is the saving cry of
a sinner. This is the only hope, and this
is the saving cry. I'm in the depths. I'm in the
depths. And I'm crying unto you. Please
hear me. Please hear me because I'm just
a beggar. I'm just a beggar. I come to
you as I am. That song says, just as I am
without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me. That's
my only hope. And that thou bidst me come to
thee, O Lamb of God, I come. come I'm a sinner who needs forgiveness
so this is what I'll do if you look back in Psalm 130 he said
this is what I'll do verse 5 I wait for the Lord my soul doth wait
and in his word do I hope that's all I can do that's all I can
do is wait and hope beg and believe Because this is all in your hands.
I know that. I acknowledge that. So that's
what I'm going to do. Wait and hope. Wait and hope.
Believe and trust. This is how I'm going to do it.
Verse 6. My soul waiteth for the Lord
more than they that watch for the morning. I say more than
they that watch for the morning. Meaning those who are just desperately
needing mourning to come. I'm gonna wait and I'm gonna
hope as hard as I can. Over in Psalm 107, it talks about
those that do business out in the depths of the sea. And they
get in trouble out there. That sea rages and they get in
trouble and they become afraid and then they cry unto the Lord
and in his mercy he delivers them. It's a desperate, desperate
need. It's an urgent, violent need. I need you. I'm going to wait,
and I'm going to hope as hard as I can. Our Lord said, the
kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
I have to have this. I have to have this. This is
my all. This is my all. Jacob said, I
will not let you go. I cannot let you go until you
bless me." Is that what's in this heart? Is that what's in
your heart? A man in our history books named
Patrick Henry, he said, give me liberty or give me death.
Do we say give me Christ? Give me liberty in Christ or
give me nothing at all? It's Christ or nothing. I either
have him or I have death. He's my only hope. He's my only
hope. Do our hearts say that? Verse
seven says in Psalm 130, let Israel hope in the Lord. For
with the Lord, there is mercy and with him is plenteous redemption. I've been told that by God's
spirit. I've been told that by God's
Word. I've been told that by God's
preacher. And this is what God has convinced
me of. Verse 8. He shall redeem Israel from all
his iniquities. God has convinced me of that.
The heart of a true believer says, this is what God has convinced
me of. Christ made the payment. He made
the payment. He made it in full. totally finished. It is completely finished. There
will not be one sin left on the account of his child. If I'm
his child, not one sin will be left on me. Every child of God
cries that from the depths of his soul. Every single one. And everyone who cries that will
hear this. Just like our Lord said in the
book of Job, deliver him from going down to the pit. I found
a ransom. A ransom has been found. I pray that God would cause us
to cry that. I pray God would cause us to
cry that from the depths of our soul. Lord, would you have mercy
on me? Lord, would you forgive me? Lord,
would you deliver me from the depths of my sin? I believe you
are the only one who can. I believe all forgiveness is
in you. You're my only hope. I believe
you accomplished salvation. Every soul who believes that
in the heart is a child of God and every soul will be delivered. Till next week, may the Lord
bless his word to our hearts. 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 10.45 a.m., and 6 o'clock
p.m., Wednesday evening at 7.30 p.m. Please tune in next week
for another message of God's free and sovereign grace.