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. Our message today is going to
come from Romans chapter 9, if you would like to follow along.
in your Bible, we will be in Romans chapter nine. When it
comes to salvation, going to heaven, being allowed to live
forever in God's glory, salvation. When it comes to salvation, two
ways of being accepted are being preached today. Now let me go
ahead and say there are not two ways of being accepted. There is only one way of salvation. There are not two ways of salvation. But two ways are being preached
in pulpits today and only two ways of all the pulpits in the
world. There are only two ways of being
saved. Being preached. man's way and God's way. It all boils down to those two
ways, man's way of being saved and God's way of being saved
and let's go ahead and establish that man's way is no way at all. God's way is the only way. Therefore, if a man preaches
man's way, The scripture says he's a false prophet. And if
a man preaches God's way, only God's way, then he's a true prophet. He's a true minister of the word. The apostle Paul reminded us
of this right here in Romans 9 with two stories. He listed
them back to back from the Old Testament that spiritually illustrate
these two ways. The story of Abraham and Sarah
having a son. Abraham had two sons. And the
story of Isaac and Rebecca having two sons. All right, now let's
look at Romans nine, verse six. He said, not as though the word
of God hath taken none effect, for they are not all Israel which
are of Israel. Just because a person was born
into the nation of Israel, that does not mean the person is a
part of spiritual Israel. Doesn't mean that you're born
into God's kingdom. because of any nationality. Verse
seven, neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they
all children, but in Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is,
they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the
children of God, but the children of the promise are counted for
the seed. For this is the word of promise,
at this time will I come and Sarah shall have a son. Abraham and Sarah. And then he
said, not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by
one, even by our father, Isaac, Isaac and Rebecca. For the children
being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil that the
purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but
of him that calleth, it was said unto her, the elder shall serve
the younger, as it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau
have I hated. Now. What is man's way of salvation
and what is God's way of salvation? Man's way is works. The works of the law, the deeds
of the Bible. Working, doing. God's way is
grace. Man's way is works. And God's
way is grace. Works means man has to earn salvation. He has to earn his own salvation. Grace means God freely gives
salvation. He just freely gives it. Grace
means God is the one who works the works. God is the one who
does everything that needs to be done. God is the one who provides
and then he freely gives to the sinner that he's chosen to save
everything that he's provided. Salvation is by God's sovereign,
promised, provided grace. That's how salvation comes to
sinners. It comes by grace. By grace are
you saved, not by works. All right, now that's what the
Apostle Paul illustrated to us with the story of Ishmael and
Isaac. All right, and then right after
that, the story of Esau and Jacob, two boys and two boys. Now I
want to give a quick overview of each story so we can see how
the illustration of salvation comes, not by man's works, but
by God's grace, all right? Romans 9, verse 7, it says, neither
because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children. Not all of Abraham's children
were God's people. But in Isaac shall thy seed be
called. That is, they which are the children
of the flesh, these are not the children of God, but the children
of the promise are counted for the seed. For this is the word
of promise. At this time will I come and
Sarah shall have a son. Now I'm sure you know the story
of Abraham and Sarah. They were in their old age and
they didn't have any children. The scripture says Sarah was
barren. Romans 4 said it this way. the
deadness of her womb. That's what it said, the deadness
of her womb. Spiritually, everything in this
word speaks of a spiritual message. And spiritually, that represents
a sinner before God. All men and women before God.
There is no life here, deadness. In the flesh, there's no life
here. And in the flesh, a sinner can't
produce his own life. Something that is dead cannot
produce its own life. So God came to Abraham and Sarah
and he said, you're going to have a son. I'm going to give
you a son. That's what he told them. I'm
going to put life where life has never been. And he said,
you look to me and you wait on me. I promise I'll do it. That was his word to them. I
promise I'll do it. Well, Abraham and Sarah waited
about 25 years and no son. They didn't have a son. So they
got to thinking, maybe God was talking about another way. Maybe
there's another way. Maybe we're not supposed to be
sitting here looking to him and waiting on him. Maybe we're supposed
to take matters into our own hands and we can read between
the lines. This is what man has done with
false religion this other way. Maybe we need to take matters
into our own hands. Maybe he means for us to accomplish
this work on our own. Maybe that's what he means. So
they decided that Abraham would have a son with Sarah's handmaid
and her name was Hagar. Abraham did. And they had a son
and named him Ishmael. As soon as Ishmael was born,
God came to Abraham and said, he's not the one. He's not the
son I promised to you. I did not promise you a son through
the works of your own doing. I did not promise you a son through
your and Hagar's own ability. I promised you a son through
the deadness of Sarah's womb. I promised you something that
with man is impossible. I promised you something that
I must do for you because you can't do it for yourself. I promised
you a son through faith in me. Believing, trusting, waiting,
and he said, I'm gonna give you that son. At the time that God
appointed, he did. And Abraham and Sarah named their
son Isaac. Now Abraham has two boys in front
of him, Ishmael and Isaac. One by the works of his own doing,
and one by God's providing. And this is what God said to
Abraham concerning those two boys. If you want to look with
me at Galatians 4, Galatians chapter 4 verse 21 says, tell
me you that desire to be under the law, that means under works,
trying to provide for yourself what only God can provide for
you. Only he can fulfill his own promise. and trying to work
to fulfill it for him doesn't work. It does not work at all. So verse 21 says, tell me, you
that desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? For
it is written that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid,
the other by a free woman. The bondmaid was Hagar, the free
woman was Sarah, his wife. Verse 23, but he who was of the
bondwoman was born after the flesh. That means that was Abraham's
doing. That was Abraham's work. It says,
but he of the free woman was by promise. That means it was
God's doing, God's work. Verse 24, which things are an
allegory. That means an illustration. Which
things are an allegory for these are the two covenants, the one
from the Mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Hagar."
You know that Mount Sinai is where God gave the law, the commandments
of the scripture. That's where he gave the law,
the do's and the don'ts. God promised to fulfill this
law through Christ his son. God promised to fulfill His law
through Christ His Son. The law, these commandments must
be fulfilled. And God promised their fulfillment
through Christ His Son. And the warning is, if a man
tries to fulfill through his own works, what God has promised
to fulfill through Christ His promised Son, Meaning, if a man tries to fulfill
for God what only God can fulfill, it's not going to work. It's
not gonna work. Verse 24 says, these things are
an allegory. These are the two covenants.
The one from Mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is
Hagar, for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth
to Jerusalem, which now is and is in bondage with her children.
Bondage to the law, bondage to the rituals, bondage to the deeds. Verse 26 says, but Jerusalem,
which is above, is free. which is the mother of us all,
free from all that. Man's work is bondage. God's grace is freedom. That's the difference. Verse
27, for it's written, rejoice thou barren that bearest not,
break forth and cry, thou that travailest not, for the desolate
hath many more children than she which hath a husband. Now
we brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. the
children of God's works. That's who his children are,
not our own children of God's free grace, God's free gift. Verse 29, but as then he that
was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit,
even so it is now. Nevertheless, what sayeth the
scripture? What did the scripture have to say to Abraham concerning
the work of his own flesh? What did God say to him? Verse
30. Nevertheless, what sayeth the scripture? Cast out the bond
woman and her son. That's what God said to Abraham.
Cast it out. Cast out your own works. Get
rid of your own works, for the son of the bondwoman shall not
be heir with the son of the free woman." You cannot mix grace
and works. You cannot do it. You cannot
do it, not even a little bit. It is 100% completely by God's
grace alone, not with any work of man mixed into it. Verse 31, so then brethren, we
are not children of the bond woman, but of the free. We're not saved by our works.
We're saved by God's grace. His work that he performs and
he provides, that's the only way God's blessing will ever
come to a center. That's the only way. The Apostle
Paul reminded us of that through this story of Ishmael and Isaac
and then immediately right after that, he confirmed it with the
story of Esau and Jacob. Now look with me back at Romans
9. Isaac, this promised son, he
had two boys, two twin boys by his wife Rebekah, Esau and Jacob. Esau was the older of the two.
So naturally, the birthright, the blessing that a father would
pass down to his oldest son, naturally, it was assumed that
it would go to Esau, he was the oldest. By nature, he was the
rightful heir. But while those two boys were
still in Rebekah's womb, God said to Rebekah, I have chosen
for Jacob to receive the blessing. Man's way is not my way. Therefore, I've chosen Jacob
over Esau. That's what God said was his
choice. That's what he was pleased to
do. He said the elder is going to serve the younger. And it's
going to be proven through these two boys that my blessing does
not come by man's works. but it only comes by God's free
provided grace. I fulfill the work. I provide
it all and I give it to whomever I'm pleased to give it to. Now,
Rebecca knew that. She knew that all through the
life of these two boys. So when they were finally grown,
Isaac was in his old age. And again, I'm sure you know
this story too. Isaac was in his old age and the scripture
says his eyes were dim, he couldn't see anymore. And it was time
for him to give the birthright blessing. It was time for him
to pass it along. Now, in this story, we have Isaac,
Rebekah, Esau, and Jacob. This is an allegory too. This
is a spiritual illustration. Isaac represents the law. He
represents the judge. He represents judgment. Esau represents the first begotten
of the father. He represents the rightful heir,
Christ our Lord. That's who Esau represents. Rebekah
represents God's grace that provides a salvation and provides a blessing
for a sinner who can't provide it for himself. And Jacob represents
the sinner, which is me and you. All right, so Isaac's the judge
and Esau represents Christ. Rebecca represents grace, and
Jacob represents the center. All right, now. Turn with me,
if you would, over to Genesis 27, and we'll read this story.
Genesis 27, verse one, it says, it came to pass that when Isaac
was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he
called Esau, his eldest son, and said unto him, my son. He
said unto him, behold, here am I. He said, behold, now I'm old. I know not the day of my death.
Now, therefore, take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver,
and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison,
and make me savory meat such as I love, and bring it to me,
that I may eat, and my soul may bless thee before I die." The
judge said, this is what I require to receive the blessing, and
he said it to Esau, his eldest, the one it was owed to. Verse
five, and Rebekah, who represents grace, Heard when Isaac spake
to Esau his son, and Esau went to the field to hunt for venison
and to bring it. And Rebekah spake unto Jacob. Grace is speaking to the sinner.
Jacob her son saying, behold, I heard thy father speak unto
Esau thy brother saying, bring me venison and make me savory
meat that I may eat and bless thee before the Lord before my
death. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that
which I command thee. Go now to the flock and fetch
me from thence two good kids of the goats, and I will make
them savory meat for thy father such as he loveth. She said,
I will prepare this for you. I'll make it for you, I'll do
it for you. Verse 10, thou shalt bring it
to thy father that he may eat and that he may bless thee before
his death. And Jacob said to Rebekah his
mother, behold, Esau my brother is an hairy man and I'm a smooth
man, I'm nothing like him. My father peradventure will feel
me and I shall seem to him as a deceiver and I shall bring
a curse upon me and not a blessing. If I go in my own nature, I'll
bring a curse on myself. I can't approach, not in my condition. Verse 13, his mother said unto
him, upon me be thy curse, my son. That's what grace said.
That's what Christ said, I'll take it. only obey my voice and
go fetch me them. And he went and fetched and brought
them to his mother and his mother made savory meat such as his
father loveth." Perfect, perfect offering. And Rebecca took goodly
raiment of her eldest son Esau, Esau's robe, Esau's covering. Goodly Raymond of her eldest
son Esau, which were with her in the house and put them upon
Jacob, her youngest son, laid the righteous robe of the firstborn
on this unworthy sinner. And she put the skins of the
kids of the goats upon his hands and upon the smooth of his neck.
And she gave the savory meat and the bread which she had prepared
into the hands of her son Jacob. And he came unto his father and
said, my father, and he said, here am I, who art thou my son?
And Jacob said unto his father, I'm Esau thy firstborn. I'm Esau thy firstborn. Now here's
the gospel. Jacob couldn't go in on his own
right, Jacob had to go in on the right of another. He had
to plead another. He had to go in pleading somebody
else's name. The name of the first begotten.
That's the only way he would be accepted. That's the only
way we're gonna be accepted. Verse 19, Jacob said unto his
father, I'm Esau thy firstborn. I have done according as thou
badest me. He was done for him. Arise, I
pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless
me. And Isaac said unto his son,
How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he
said, Because the Lord thy God brought it to me. He said, God
did this. This was the work of God. He
gets the glory for it. Verse 21, Isaac said unto Jacob,
Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee my son, whether
thou be my very son Esau or not. And Jacob went near unto Isaac
his father, and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's
voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. And he discerned
him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's
hands, so he blessed him. As Esau was, so was Jacob. And that's what the word of God
says about all his people. They have been made to be as
Christ is, so are they. Verse 24, and he said, art thou
my very son Esau? And he said, I am. And he said,
bring it near to me and I will eat of my son's venison that
my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him
and he did eat and he brought him wine and he drank. And his
father Isaac said unto him, come near now and kiss me my son. And he came near and kissed him
and smelled the smell of his raiment. and blessed him and
said, see the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which
the Lord hath blessed. Therefore God give thee of the
dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth and plenty of corn
and wine. Let people serve thee and nations
bow down to thee. Be Lord over thy brethren and
let thy mother's son bow down to thee. Cursed be everyone that
curseth thee and blessed be everyone that blesseth thee. all the blessings
that were owed to the firstborn went to that wretched vile sinner
right there. In Esau, he received it all. In the name of Esau, in the robe
of Esau, in the sweet smell of Esau, in the work that was given
to him and provided for him, he received all the spiritual
blessings that the father had to offer. Now watch what happens
to Esau. who represents Christ, verse
30. And it came to pass as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing
Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of
his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. And
he also had made savory meat and brought it unto his father
and said unto his father, let my father arise and eat of thy
son's venison that thy soul may bless thee. And Isaac his father
said unto him, who art thou? I don't know you. What a thing
to hear. Verse 32, Isaac his father said,
who art thou? He said, I'm thy son, thy firstborn
Esau. Isaac trembling very exceedingly
said, who? Where is he that hath taken venison
and brought it me? I've eaten of all before thou
camest and blessed him and he shall be blessed. And when Esau
heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding
bitter cry. You know what our Lord Jesus
Christ cried for our behalf? He cried, my God, my God, why
hast thou forsaken me? It was so his people could be
blessed. He willingly allowed himself
to be forsaken of the father so that all of his people could
be given the birthright. Now the Apostle Paul in Romans
9 through those two stories declared to us how salvation comes to
a sinner. He said it is an election according
to grace. God gives it to whomever he's
pleased to give it to. He gives it to the one it's promised
to. God chooses to save his people. God does it on purpose. and God
does it in full, and it's not one bit by a man's own works. Anything that a man tries to
do on his own will be rejected. Only the work of God, only the
work of Christ will be received. God's doing, Christ's covering,
Grace provides the provisions of grace he provided he freely
gave a full work of salvation to his people and this is what
Jonah said. Salvations of the Lord and that's
how it is. Salvation is of the Lord. Till
next week I pray the Lord will make these words to be a blessing
to our heart. 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 7 p.m. Please tune in next week for
another message of God's free and sovereign grace.