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. I would
like to bring a message to you today from Matthew chapter five. If you would like to follow along
in your Bible, I will be in Matthew chapter five, and I want to begin
by reading verses 17 to 20. Matthew five, verse 17 says,
think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but
to fulfill. These are the words of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Verse 18, he said, for verily
I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle
shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break
one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall
be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But whosoever shall
do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom
of heaven. For I say unto you that except
your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes
and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of
heaven. Now this is what our Lord said
right there. He said, I did not come to destroy the law. He said not one dot of the I
or cross of the T will be excused from the law. No excuses. Every speck of it must be fulfilled
in order for a person to enter into the kingdom of heaven. He
said whoever breaks the holy law of God and sins against the
holy commandments of God is going to be dealt with. whoever breaks
the law of God is going to be dealt with. And he said, your
righteousness, your righteous perfections, your goodness, your
deeds, your worthiness, had better exceed the righteousness of the
scribes and Pharisees, or you will not go into the kingdom
of heaven. because they are not going into
the kingdom of heaven. Their righteousness is not good
enough. That's what he said. The righteousness
of the scribes, they were the ones who spent their life transcribing
the scriptures so that we could have a copy, maintain a copy. They wrote the Bible. That was
their job. And the Pharisees were the religious
leaders And the Lord said, their righteousness, their good deeds,
they're not good enough. They're not entering in based
on their good deeds. He called them blind leaders
of the blind. And he said, they're all going
to fall into the ditch. Now that's pretty serious, isn't
it? That's pretty serious. But here's the thing about it.
That's so. This is the Lord our God speaking. This is the Lord Jesus Christ
speaking. And what he said right here is
so. His word is so. How perfect does
a person have to be to enter into God's kingdom? How perfect
does a person have to be to go to heaven? Here's the answer. As perfect as God. as perfect as God himself. Not just better than I used to
be, which is what most people say. Well, I'm better than I
used to be. Well, that's not good enough. A person has to
be perfect. Not just perfect from here on
out. Perfect in the past too. Spotless. I mean, no record of sin at all. The law says that the wages of
sin is death. And if sin has ever been committed
in a person's life, it's death for that person. It's death. And here's the absolute truth,
okay? This is the absolute truth. God is holding a record of everything
that we are doing. That's the truth. The book of
Revelation tells us that. All the books are going to be
opened. Of all the deeds that we've done, everything you and
I are doing, God is keeping track of it. He is keeping a record
of every word we say, every thought we think, and when the judgment comes in,
every I is going to be dotted and every T is going to be crossed.
in sentencing to us what the law says we deserve based on
what we've done, based on what we've done in this life. And
I can just go ahead and tell all of us, me included, that
what we are And what we deserve is not good. It's not good at
all. Look at Matthew 7, just a couple
of chapters over here. Matthew 7 verse 13 says, enter
ye in at the straight gate for wide is the gate and broad is
the way that leadeth to destruction. That's talking about hell. This place called hell. Wide is the gate, broad is the
way that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in
thereat. Listen, this is the truth, not
based on my word, but based on God's word. The Word of God tells
us what we are, what we've done, and what we deserve. And it is
telling us that massive amounts of people are pouring into destruction,
eternal destruction at all times. And I know that most people don't
believe that. Most people do not believe that
people go to hell when they die. Most people believe everybody
goes to heaven. But the problem with that is
that's not what God's word says. And my thoughts are not gonna
stand in the end. Only God's word will stand in
the end. And that's the reality that men
and women are facing. And we need to realize that.
We need to hear what God's word has to say concerning us in truth. Because that is the only way
we will be able to know and understand the salvation that is provided
in Christ. So let's let the word of God
tell us what we are here, what we deserve, based on what we've
done in the flesh. All right, this is speaking of
me, it's speaking of you, it's speaking of all of us. Look with
me at Romans 7. Romans chapter 7. This is the apostle Paul describing
himself, and I will confess to you, he is describing me. This right here is me. And you
would be wise to confess to yourself that he's describing you because
he is describing all men and women by nature. Romans 7 verse
1 says, know ye not brethren, for I speak to them that know
the law, how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as
he liveth. The law has true reign over us. People naturally believe that
the Bible is old-fashioned, that it doesn't apply anymore, and
that's not so. This law has reign over us. This law rules over us. We are under the law. Romans
7 verse 7, he said, what shall we say then? Is the law sin?
Is it bad because it reigns over us and we're under the bondage
of it? He said, God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but
by the law, for I had not known lust, except the law had said,
thou shalt not covet. I didn't realize what I was doing
until I read the law and saw that I was going against God's
holy law. Wasn't until I heard it that
I was convicted. The law revealed to me that I
was a sinner. That's what the law does. It
reveals our sin. Verse 12, wherefore the law is
holy and the commandment holy and just and good. Verse 14,
he said, we know that the law is spiritual, but I'm carnal,
sold under sin. The law is good, but I'm not,
not in my flesh. Verse 15, and remember, this
is the Apostle Paul speaking. He said, for that which I do,
I allow not. I don't know why I do it. For
what I would, that do I not, but what I hate, that's what
I do. He said, I'm not living the life that I know I ought
to be living. He said, I wish I was, but I'm
not. I wish I could, but I can't.
Verse 16, if then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the
law that it's good. I recognize the fact that I'm
the one in the wrong. Verse 17, now then it is no more
I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I don't want what I am. I don't want to be what I am.
But I realize sin has dominion over this flesh. Verse 18, he
said, for I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth
no good thing. No good thing. Well, Paul, don't
you think there's a little bit of good in everybody? No. No,
there's none good. No, not one. I know that in me
that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing, for to will is
present with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not.
I want to, I just can't find a way to be what this word says
I ought to be. Verse 19, he said, for the good
that I would, I do not, but the evil which I would not, that
I do. Now if I do that I would not,
it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find
then a law that when I would do good, evil is present with
me. This is the common complaint of all of God's people. Listen
to a man named John Newton. He wrote this poem or song. It's
called, "'Tis a point I long to know." He said, I want to
know this so badly. "'Tis a point I long to know. Oft it causes anxious thought. Do I love the Lord or no? Am I his or am I not?" I want
to know if I'm a believer, if I'm a child of God. Verse two,
he said, "'If I love, why am I thus?' Why this dull and lifeless
frame? Hardly sure can they be worse
who have never heard His name. Could my heart so hard remain? Prayer a task and burden prove. Every trifle give me pain. If I knew a Savior's love, should
it be this hard for me to spend time in prayer without my mind
wandering Why am I so worried and distressed over everything
out there? Do I believe God is sovereign
or not? Do I believe he's God in control
or not? Do you know that struggle? I do. I know exactly what he's
saying right here. He said, when I turn my eyes
within, when I look within myself, all is dark and vain and wild,
filled with unbelief and sin. Can I deem myself a child? This man is getting honest with
himself. This man is not trying to hide
the truth of what he really is, hide the truth of what goes on
in his mind and his heart. He said, if I pray or hear or
read, sin is mixed with all I do. You who love the Lord indeed,
tell me, is it thus with you? He said, yet I mourn my stubborn
will. I mourn it, I'm sorrowful over
it. Find my sin a grief and thrall. Should I grieve at what I feel
if I did not love at all? Would there be any conviction
in here if I didn't love Christ and desire to be a child of his?
He said, could I joy his saints to meet, choose the ways I once
abhorred, find at times the promise sweet if I did not love the Lord? Could I enjoy going into the
house of the Lord and hearing his gospel preached and being
with his people if there was nothing going on in here? He
said, Lord, you decide this doubtful case, thou who art the people's
son. Sense upon thy work of grace,
if indeed it be begun. Let me love thee more and more. If I love at all, I pray. If I have not loved before, help
me to begin today. If I've never truly loved you,
Lord, put a love in me right now. Help me right now. And that's what Paul is saying
right here in Romans chapter 7 verse 22. He said, I delight
in the law of God after the inward man. There's something in me
that wants this so badly. But he said, I see another law
in my members, warring against the law of my mind, bringing
me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members.
And this is the conclusion he came to. Verse 24, he said, oh,
wretched man that I am. Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? Who shall deliver me? He said,
the law has clearly revealed to me that I'm a sinner against
it. And being a sinner against it,
he said, I see the punishment that I'm owed and the death that
I deserve. I see it. He said, who shall
deliver me from the body of this death? And I'll tell you that
the answer to that question is the gospel. The answer to that
question is the gospel. And it is the declaration that
our Lord made in Matthew chapter five. Our Lord was declaring
the gospel in Matthew chapter five. Go back there with me again
to Matthew five. And let's listen to this glorious
announcement. Okay. Matthew five, verse 17. Our Lord said, think not that
I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come
to destroy, but to fulfill. I am not come to destroy, but
to fulfill. Do we realize what that means?
Honestly, honestly, do we realize the glory of what our Lord is
saying right there? This is the heart of our message.
Okay. This, this is the glory of the
gospel for God's chosen people. Everything that God requires,
God provides everything that God requires. God provides. God has a particular people that
he has chosen to show mercy to and chosen to show his grace
to. If you look right here at Matthew
5 verse 1, it says, in seeing the multitudes, multitudes of
people, Seeing the multitudes, our Lord went up into a mountain,
and when He was set, His disciples came unto Him, and He opened
His mouth and taught them. He saw the multitudes, and He
went apart into a mountain, and His disciples came, and He taught
them, His people. Everything that God has, He has
it for His people. All of His mercy has been shown
to His people. All of His grace has been given
to His people. And it has been given in this
way. Everything that God has required
of His people, Christ has provided for His people. And that's the
beauty of the gospel. In 1 Thessalonians 5, Verse 24 says, faithful is he
that calleth you who also will do it. I love that verse of scripture. That is so glorious. Faithful
is he that calleth you who also will do it. Now, all of mankind
was condemned in sin by the holy law of God, but God chose a people
to save. And even though They were all
condemned by the law just like everybody else. God provided
a remedy for them. God provided a fulfillment in
love, in grace, in mercy. God provided to them everything
he required of them. God's people could not satisfy
the holy law of God. So Christ said, I will go satisfy
it for them. And that's what he did. Every
demand, every requirement, every perfection, he said, I will do
it. I will go do it for them on their
behalf, charged to their account. Faithful is he that calleth you
who also will do it. That's the glory of the gospel.
For God's people, everything God required, Christ provided. everything. First Corinthians
1 verse 30 says, but of him are you in Christ Jesus? The only
hope that we have is that we are in Christ Jesus. We must
go meet God in Christ Jesus and stand before the throne of God
in Christ Jesus. Well, how does a person get in
Christ Jesus of God? That's a work that God does for
his people. Of God are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made
unto us. Christ is made unto us wisdom
and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. What that means
is everything we need to know, he knows it for us. Everything
we need to do, he has done it for us. Everything we need to
be, he is that for us. everything we need to pay, He
has paid it for us. He paid it all. All the debt
His people owed, sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it
white as snow. Now, when it comes to what we
need to know concerning God and religion and salvation, Christ
is the only answer there is. Christ is the only answer we
need. Solomon said, of the making of
many books, there is no end and much study is a weariness of
the flesh. He said, here's the conclusion
of the whole matter. Fear God. Fear God. Worship Christ. Hear Him. Fear
God. Paul told Timothy, man is ever
learning but never coming to a knowledge of the truth. Why? Because he misses Christ. He's
missed Christ. He's so focused on doctrine and
theology and all of these ologies and isms and everything, he misses
Christ. Paul spoke of the simplicity
that's in Christ. Our Lord said one thing is needful,
Christ. He is the one thing needful.
Focus on Him. Paul said, I studied under Gamaliel,
this great religious teacher. And he said, I learned all about
the Jews' religion and doctrine and theology and everything.
He said, I throw it all away. I count it all dung. Why, Paul? That I might know Jesus Christ.
I need to know Him. He's my knowledge. He's my wisdom.
When it comes to righteousness and sanctification, which is
perfection, perfect holiness, in deed, in being, righteousness
is perfection without, in deed, in doing, and sanctification
is perfection within, in being. And when it comes to all of our
perfection, without and within, When we read in His holy book
what the law says we must do and what we must be. And fear
overtakes us because we have an understanding of how our sin
has overtaken us. And we realize that in our wicked
flesh, we could never do what the law requires us to do. And
we could never be what the law requires us to be. The glory
and beauty of the gospel cries when that happens and we see
that, the gospel cries, Christ has done that. And Christ is
that for us. He is our righteousness before
God. He is our spotless sanctification
before God. He is our perfection. He is our
purity. We can read any book, chapter
and verse in the Bible. All of it speaks of him, all
of it. He is the perfect spotless substitute
for his sinful people. In Romans chapter 10, verse one
says, brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel
is that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they
have a zeal of God but not according to knowledge, for they being
ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish
their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto
the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the
law for righteousness to everyone that believeth." He's our perfection. When the law says, now you'd
better do this, in word and deed, don't look to yourself to do
it. Look to Christ. Look to Christ to do it for you.
He's your righteousness. When the law says you had better
be this in mind, body, soul, don't look to yourself to be
that. Look to Christ to be that for you. In our flesh dwells
no good thing. Wretchedness is all that we will
ever find here. But our Lord said, you come unto
me and I'll give you rest from that. You turn your eyes to me
and I'll give you rest from that. If you are heavy laden and burdened
over your sin, I'll give you rest from it. If you're burdened
and fearful over all your inability, when you read this Bible and
you realize this, I cannot do this. He said, you come to me,
you come to me and I'll give you rest. You turn to me, look
to me, and stop trying to perform your own works of the law to
satisfy God. You can rest in my works of the
law that satisfied God. We can rest from all of our labors
as God has rested from his. When Christ said it's finished,
it was finished. He finished every single demand
that God gave to his people. He fulfilled every payment, every
righteousness, everything that needed to be accomplished in
the sacrifice of himself. So Christ is our wisdom, Christ
is our righteousness, Christ is our sanctification, Christ
is our redemption. He is our Redeemer. Christ is
our blood sacrifice redemption to God. In Him, we are accepted. In Him, we have an entrance to
His kingdom. Look to Him. Cry out to Him. He's our hope. I pray the Lord
will make that to be a blessing to all of our hearts. Amen. 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.