“He Looks Kindly" Sunday Service | Resurrection Lutheran Church, August 23, 2026

Psalm 138 sets the true God above every false god, every celebrity, every influencer, every politician, and every pedestal human pride can build. The world’s upward climb tends to make powerful people more insulated, more inaccessible, and more likely to see ordinary people as “little people.” Pride then looks up for more fame, power, and influence, while also looking down on the homeless, the disagreeable neighbor, or the driver who made a boneheaded mistake.

Pride is a spiritual sickness that says, “I am the master of my own destiny. I can handle life on my own.” Pride builds a castle of self reliance and self righteousness, then wonders why God feels distant. The Lord may respect the boundary that proud hearts insist on building, leaving people to discover how frail their own strength really is. Paul Williams’ joke becomes a needed confession: “I remembered I am the little people.”

God’s kingdom flips the tower of human hierarchy right on its head. Psalm 138:6 declares that though the Lord is exalted, “he looks kindly on the lowly.” David praises the triune God whose fame rises above every idol, kingdom, galaxy, and earthly empire. God’s greatness is not merely that he is high above all things, but that he is radically willing to stoop low in compassion.

The Lord’s kind look is not a casual glance at humanity moving below like ants. God fixes his eyes upon the humble, the brokenhearted, the overlooked, the weary, and those who know their desperate need for grace. The image of a father watching his child run down the aisle gives flesh to this promise: the Father looks upon his children with joy, care, and open arms.

Jesus embodies the deepest reality of God’s kindness toward the lowly. Christ came humble and lowly to serve, and the only time he looked down on people was when he was lifted up on the cross to save them. Jesus looked down with mercy and prayed, “Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.” The risen Christ still intercedes, still cares, and still sends the Holy Spirit to guide and keep his people.

Psalm 138:7 gives resurrection hope to those walking in the midst of trouble. God stretches out his hand, preserves life, saves, and revives. God’s kind gaze also transforms the way his children see their neighbors, including the proud people in the penthouses. Jesus Christ remains the forever hero and the only one worthy of worship.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Pride builds castles that isolate [31:27] Pride does not merely make a person arrogant. Pride creates an internal fortress where self reliance and self righteousness seem safer than grace. The walls meant to protect the self can become the very barriers that keep a person distant from God’s life giving presence. [31:27]
• 2. God looks kindly on lowly people [33:48] God’s exalted position does not make him detached from fragile lives. His eyes are drawn toward humble brokenness, not because weakness earns his favor, but because need opens empty hands to receive grace. The overlooked person is never overlooked by the Creator of the universe. [33:48]
• 3. Christ stooped low to save [40:08] Jesus did not come to reinforce the world’s ladder of status and power. Christ came humble and lowly, carried sorrow, and looked down from the cross with forgiveness. The cross reveals that God’s highest glory shines through mercy toward sinners. [40:08]
• 4. Trouble is not outside God’s reach [41:04] Psalm 138 does not deny that God’s people walk in the midst of trouble. God preserves, saves, and revives those whose strength has run thin. Resurrection hope rests not in escaping every hard thing, but in the right hand of God reaching into it. [41:04]
• 5. Kindness changes how neighbors are seen [42:00] God’s affectionate gaze gives his children a new way to look at others. The proud, the difficult, the grieving, and the unnoticed all stand before Christ as people he died and rose for. Love becomes more than a quick glance when God’s kindness shapes words and actions.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [25:43] - The Pedestals of Celebrity and Power
• [29:00] - Looking Up and Looking Down
• [30:52] - Pride as a Spiritual Sickness
• [32:49] - Remembering the Little People
• [33:48] - The Lord Looks Kindly on the Lowly
• [36:15] - God’s Intentional and Affectionate Gaze
• [37:58] - The Father’s Loving Look
• [39:14] - Hope for the Overwhelmed and Broken
• [40:08] - Jesus Looks Down from the Cross
• [41:04] - God’s Right Hand Revives
• [42:00] - Looking Kindly on Neighbors
• [43:34] - Jesus, the Forever Hero

1. In Psalm 138:6, what contrast does David make between the lowly and the haughty? What does the phrase “from afar” communicate about the condition of a proud heart? [31:27]
2. What kinds of people and situations can tempt someone to “look down” on others—such as the homeless person, a disagreeable neighbor, or another driver? [30:19]
3. According to Psalm 138:7, what does God do for David while he is still “in the midst of trouble,” rather than only after the trouble is gone? [41:10]
4. What do Jesus’ words from the cross in Luke 23:34 show about the way he looked upon the people who were sinning against him? [40:31]

1. Pride can sound like self-confidence, but it can become the belief, “I can handle life on my own.” How does that belief build distance between a person and the grace of God? [31:32]
2. Psalm 138:6 says the Lord is high and yet regards the lowly. Why is God’s willingness to draw near to humble and broken people part of his greatness, rather than a limit on his greatness? [35:54]
3. Jesus prayed for forgiveness while suffering on the cross. What does this reveal about the kind of mercy sinners receive from Christ, including people who may seem far from him or full of pride? [40:46]
4. Psalm 138:7 promises preservation and deliverance in trouble. How does the language of God’s right hand “reviving” his people give hope when a person’s strength feels depleted? [41:24]

1. What “pedestal” is most likely to capture your attention right now—success, influence, money, a public figure, approval, or something else? How might looking up to that thing pull your eyes away from Jesus? [29:43]
2. Where do you notice a “castle of pride” in your own life? Is there an area where you resist asking for help, admitting weakness, confessing sin, or depending on God? [31:43]
3. Think of a person you are tempted to see as insignificant, frustrating, or beneath your concern. What would it look like this week to look at that person with intentional love, care, and compassion? [41:50]
4. When have you recently felt small, overlooked, overwhelmed, or burdened by failure? How does Psalm 138:6 speak into that particular place of need? [39:17]
5. Is there a current trouble in which you need to trust God’s preserving and reviving hand? What would it look like to bring that specific trouble honestly to him this week? [41:10]
6. Who is someone who seems proud, distant, or “high up” in your life? Rather than judging them from a distance, how could you pray for them and treat them as someone Christ died and rose for? [42:08]
7. Jesus looked down from the cross and prayed, “Father, forgive them.” Is there someone toward whom you need Christ’s mercy to reshape your words, attitude, or willingness to forgive? [40:46]