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 from Isaiah chapter 43. Isaiah 43. And although we will look at many verses in scriptures during the course of this message, really one verse is our message. One verse perfectly declares the full message, and it's verse 1. Isaiah 43, verse 1, it says, But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, fear not. For I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine. That's the message. That's the message of the gospel. That's the complete message of Christ all by itself. What needs to be added to that? As the song says, what more can we say than to you he hath said? But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, fear not. That's good news, isn't it? He said, for I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine.

This is a message from God to His people. This is a message from God to His elect people, the souls that He, before the foundation of this world, predestinated to save, predestinated to redeem and call to Himself. That's who this message is for, and I would like to just expound a little bit on this word of our Lord to His people. Thus saith the Lord.

Chapter 42 in Isaiah, it ends with God's judgment on the wicked. That's how Isaiah 42 ends, which All of us by nature are a part of that group. All of mankind. It's a declaration of judgment on the wicked and that's all of mankind by nature in the flesh as we are naturally born into this world. Isaiah 43 says, but God. That's the gospel. It says, but now, and that's what it insinuates. That's what it is declaring. But God, if you actually look at Isaiah 42, if you have your Bible there, look at verse 25. It says, therefore he hath poured upon him the fury of his anger. and the strength of battle, and it hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew not, and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart. Chapter 43 says, but now. But now, that's the gospel. The gospel is not about us and what we're gonna do, the gospel is all about the Lord our God and what he has done. for us, in spite of us. It says, But now thus saith the Lord that created thee.

All people were created in Adam. But God's people were created in Christ. This is what separates All people from God's particular people. All people were created in Adam. All people came from Adam. But God's people also come from Christ. God's people also were created in Christ. All people were born in the sin of Adam, myself, yourself included. But God's people were born again in the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. And verse one says, but now thus saith the Lord that created thee. And I love that phrase, thus saith the Lord. I thank God for that phrase, thus saith the Lord. It carries so much power. It carries so much authority. It carries so much certainty. That's what I love about the true and living God of heaven. He is certain in everything that he says. Certain. It's a command. It's a command that is going to get a response. Thus saith the Lord. Moses told Pharaoh, thus saith the Lord. Ezekiel told that valley of dead dry bones, if you know that story. Thus saith the Lord. I love that. That's what God's preachers are commanded to preach to this world and commanded to preach to God's people.

Thus saith the Lord. That's our message. Thus saith the Lord. That's all we're doing is repeating the word of the Lord. And every one of God's people who have been given eyes to see the truth concerning the gospel of Christ, will see, yes, that is what the Lord has said. And every soul that's been given ears to hear, ears of faith to hear and a heart to believe will hear and believe the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord. This is how it's gonna be. God's people have been given faith to say, yes, this is how it's gonna be. Write it down. This is how it's gonna be. We're not going to question this. We're not going to debate this. Men love to debate the word of men, but there is no debating the word of the Lord. There's no debating the word of God. Who are we to reply against God? We're not gonna argue.

Thus saith the Lord. What did the Lord say right here? Well, verse one, he went on to say, Fear not. Fear not. Our Lord says what he says and he says it to whom he says it. Our Lord is not a general Lord with a general word. He is a specific Lord with a specific word to a specific people. He is speaking not to the world right here. We're about to see this. He is not speaking to the world. He's speaking to a particular person who represents a particular people.

Verse one says, but now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob. Jacob, that's who he's talking to. The name Jacob means sinner, trickster, supplanter, Don't you love how the Lord continually reminds us of who he accomplished this for, everything we just read right there in verse one. Don't you love how the Lord continually reminds us who he did this for? God's people need that reassurance. God's people need the reminder. For our comfort and our peace and our rest, we need to constantly be reminded that our Lord accomplished this great salvation for sinners. Sinners, not Esau's, but Jacob's. Sinners, that's what we are. That's what God's people are, sinners.

Verse one says, but now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel. He said, I made you, I own you. And even though you sinned against me and you rebelled against me, Before I ever formed you in the belly, I knew you. This is what the Lord says to his people. I knew you. I loved you. I made a promise to save you. That's what God says to his people. This is what the salvation of God's people is built on. God Almighty knew His people, God Almighty loved His people, and God Almighty made a covenant to save His people from their sins. That's the gospel.

The gospel does not continue now on demand to see if He will accept that love and accept that purpose and accept that covenant or what He'll do with it or do in return. It's who God is, what God purposed to do, what God did, period. That's the declaration of the gospel. And that's why he says, fear not because of who I am, what I purposed to do and what I did. Fear not. Fear not. I created you and I created you for a particular reason. It was to redeem you.

Look here at verse 5. If you have your Bible there, Isaiah 43, verse 5, He said, Fear not. This is carrying on why He says, Fear not. For I am with thee. I will bring thy seed from the east and gather thee from the west. I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Keep not back. Bring my sons from far and my daughters from the ends of the earth, even everyone that is called by my name. For I have created him for my glory. I have formed him, yea, I have made him."

Why did our God create us? Have you ever wondered that? Have you ever wondered that? Why did God create man? Why did God create a world? You know, the name God means the self-existent one in need of nothing. God is perfectly content. Why did he do this? What is our purpose for being here?

I worked many, many years ago. I worked for a company. And the employees were on break and everyone was standing around talking. And this one girl, very, very seriously, it's as though she was really, really searching for an answer. But she was in a deep conversation asking the question, why are we here? Why is mankind on this earth? Why are we here? And nobody in that moment knew how to answer that question. But we know now. I know now. I see now.

Why are we here? Here's the reason. His glory. Why did God do this? His glory. Why did God create man? Why did God allow all of this? His glory. Did God know that man would sin against him? He most certainly did. Before he created a world with man on it, Himself was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. The Lamb slain for the sin of His people. Why did He do this? Here's the answer. His glory. His glory.

What's the purpose of anything being here? His glory. The sun, the moon, the stars. All of it declares His glory. That's what the scripture says. The heavens declare His glory. That's the message of the gospel, His glory. That's the reason for salvation, His glory. Everything that our God has done is, as Ephesians 1 says, to the praise of His glory. All of it. Everything happens to the praise of His glory.

Over in John chapter 11, this is such a good portion of Scripture here. John chapter 11 verse 1, it says, Now a certain man was sick named Lazarus. Maybe you've heard this story about Lazarus dying. It says, A certain man was sick named Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. Therefore his sister sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God. This sickness, Lazarus' sickness, is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the son of God might be glorified thereby." He said that's the reason Lazarus received this sickness. That the son of God might be glorified thereby.

Everything declares his glory. Everything, all the way to his greatest glory. Moses said, Lord, show me your glory. And the Lord said, it is in the fact that I will be merciful to sinners. It's in the fact that I'll be merciful to sinners. Sovereign grace and sovereign mercy toward sinners. He said, that's my glory. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious. Sovereign grace. And I'll show mercy on whom I will show mercy. It's sovereign mercy. And in that, that's his glory.

That's how our existence glorifies him the most. It's in the grace and the mercy that he was able to show to sinners like us. I am a sinner and you're a sinner. And I'm a great sinner and you're a great sinner. And it glorifies God greatly that he could and would show mercy to sinners like us.

In John chapter 12, verse 23, John 12, verse 23, Jesus answered them saying, the hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. You understand what he's saying there? Except a corn of wheat die, the fruit won't come from it.

He's speaking of himself in verse 28. He said, Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. The people therefore that stood by and heard it said that it thundered. Others said an angel spake to him. Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world. Now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

He said, And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all, all of his people unto me, unto himself. He said the hour has come that the son of man should be glorified in being lifted up, lifted up on the cross of Calvary. That's his glory.

Over in John 17, John chapter 17, verse one, it says, these words spake Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour is come, glorify thy son, that thy son also may glorify thee. As thou has given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou has given him.

Who did Christ die for? Every soul the father gave to him. Who did he give eternal life to? Did he give it to the whole world? Did he offer it to the whole world? No, he did not. Every soul his father gave to him. Every soul his father chose for him to redeem.

Verse 2, he said, As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God in Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth. I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was."

He said, Father, I glorified you in my life. He lived a perfect life. He lived a spotless life. He lived an honorable life where the Father could say, well done, well done. He said, I glorified you in my life. Father, glorify me in my death. glorify me in my death that I might finish this work you sent me to do.

He said, I have finished it in life. He earned that perfect life, that perfect righteousness that he would give to his people. And he said, I'll finish it also in death. And he said, Father, in this, Here is the glory of it all. Right here in John 17 verse 22, he said, And the glory which thou gavest me I have given to them every soul the Father gave to him. He said, I've given that same glory to them that they may be one even as we are one.

Now that's what he is saying to his people IN OUR TEXT. THAT'S WHAT HE IS SAYING TO ME AND TO YOU IF THE FATHER CHOSE TO SAVE US IN THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST. THAT RIGHT THERE IS WHAT HE'S SAYING TO US.

GO BACK OVER TO ISAIAH 43 WITH ME. VERSE 1 SAYS, BUT NOW THUS SAYETH THE LORD THAT CREATED THEE, O JACOB, AND HE THAT FORMED THEE, O ISRAEL, FEAR NOT for I have redeemed thee. That's the reason to fear not. If it were not for that, we only have reason to fear. If we were not redeemed, we would only have reason to fear God. But he said, fear not, for I have redeemed thee. I paid the price. That's what it means. If you go to the store and you take something off of the shelf, let's say you go to the grocery store and you buy a loaf of bread, you are not allowed to take that bread home until you pay the price for that bread in full. If that bread is $2, you're not allowed to pay $1 and walk out of the store with it. It has not been redeemed. It can only be redeemed if the full redemption price is paid. But once that price is paid, it's yours. It belongs to you. And you're welcome to deliver it from its captivity of that shelf.

And that's what our Lord is saying, you fear not because I redeemed you. I paid the price for you. I paid the price for your sins in full. Calvary's price. Do you realize that because of our sin against God, the wages of our sin was Calvary? You know, when it says the wages of sin is death, everything our Lord endured, All the suffering, that trial, that's what will happen to all of God's people outside of Christ. They're gonna go stand on trial just like our Lord did before Pilate. Every soul on this earth is gonna stand before God. All who are in Christ stood before God in Christ. The trial, the punishment, the condemnation, the suffering, the death, the burial, Outside of Christ, that's what man will have to pay on his own. But in Christ, that payment was made and it was made in full. That price was blood. He said, I shed the blood. God said, when I see the blood, I'll pass over you. And because of that, Christ says, fear not. Fear not, thou worm. Jacob, as he says in Isaiah 41, I shed the blood. I shed the blood.

Look with me at verse 14 here in Isaiah 43, verse 14, it says, Thus saith the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, that's Christ, for your sake, I have sent to Babylon and have brought down all their nobles and the Chaldeans whose cries in the ships. I am the Lord, your holy one, the creator of Israel, your king, your king. He said, I redeemed you. I own you. I rule over you. I'm your king.

In chapter 44, verse 21, it says, Remember these, O Jacob and Israel, for thou art my servant. I'm your king, you're my servant. I have formed thee, thou art my servant, O Israel. Thou shalt not be forgotten of me. That's good news. I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions, and as a cloud thy sins, Return unto me, for I have redeemed thee. Sing, O ye heavens, for the Lord hath done it. Shout, ye lower parts of the earth. Break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein, for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob and glorified himself in Israel. I love that. That is glorious. He said, with my own blood, I blotted out all of your transgressions. And he said, I glorified myself in the process of doing that. And all of God's people are going to hear that and they're going to say, amen.

And I just want to interject this. If God the Father did not choose you, or me, and did not give us to Christ to redeem, and has not quickened us by His Spirit, and created faith in us to believe, thus saith the Lord, we will not believe this declaration. We will not believe that Christ accomplished this for his people and it is finished. We will try to figure out, we will be unsettled, trying to realize what must I do now to make this effectual? What must I do now to truly put the final stamp on Christ's work? That's the evidence of a goat. A goat says, wait, but, hold on now, but, I hear thus saith the Lord, but, If God has given us faith to hear this and to say, amen, thank God, we belong to Him. We're His elect. He created us, He redeemed us, and He called us.

If God gives us a heart that says, not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name, we give all the glory for this, then He did this for us. I pray this is us. Because chapter 43 verse 1 says, But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, O sinner, and he that formed thee, O Israel, fear not. For I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine.

What is that name? Well, that name is Jacob, sinner, but our Lord changed that name to Israel, Prince with God. How can we be made princes with God? In our Lord Jesus Christ, in Christ our Savior, the Prince of Peace. His name is the Lord our righteousness and in Him, Jeremiah 33 says, our name is the Lord our righteousness. We've been given the name with Him.

May God give us faith to hear, thus saith the Lord, and to cry, Amen. I pray so.

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.