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 would like for us to look at
a portion of scripture today from 1 John chapter 3. 1 John
chapter 3. Let's read verses 4 and 5. They say, whosoever committeth
sin transgresseth also the law. For sin is the transgression
of the law. And you know that he was manifested
to take away our sins. And in him is no sin. Now, those two verses just told
the truth on us and the truth on Christ. The absolute truth
on us and the truth on Christ. Verse five says, he was manifested
to take away our sins. That means we have them. That's what it means. He was
manifested to take away our sins. That means we have them. And
then it says in him is no sin. That means he doesn't have any. In him is no sin. In us is all
sin. That's the truth of the matter.
Verse four says, whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law
for sin is the transgression of the law. That's what sin is. If we want to know what sin is,
it is a transgression of the law. Sin is breaking the law. Anytime we break the law, we
sin. There is a law written in this
word, written in the word of God. There is a law written on
the heart. God has written a law on the
heart. There is a law written in the
land that this word tells us to obey. Laws of our land, laws
of our city and our government. Breaking the law is sin, that's
what sin is. Verse four says, whosoever committeth
sin transgresseth also the law for sin is the transgression
of the law. Now that ought to explain to
us what our whole problem is. Honestly, that ought to explain
to us what our whole problem is. We are lawbreakers. That may come as a shock to some. The fact that I'm saying that,
that may be offensive to some. Some may hear that and say, well,
I'm not a lawbreaker. Don't you call me a lawbreaker.
Well, we are. We are lawbreakers. It's in our
nature. It's in our nature. It is our nature to break the
law. It's what we do. We are sinners. It's what we do. It's what the
flesh naturally desires to do. Have you ever seen on a mattress
tag, you go into a mattress store, you'll see a mattress tag and
it says before this mattress is purchased if you rip this
tag off or cut this tag off you'll go to jail for it that's a that's
a under penalty of law you'll suffer the wrath of the law if
you take that tag off had they not written that on there i'm
sure no one would have ever thought about ripping a tag off or cutting
a tag off no one would have ever given that a second thought But
just because they wrote it on there, the flesh says, makes me want to rip the tag
off. Don't you tell me what I can and can't do. That's the flesh
of man. That's the nature of man. This
is how man is right here. You drive down the road and you
see a speed limit posted and that speed limit says 45. So
what does man do? He drives 50. or 55 sets his
cruise that way on purpose. It says 70, man goes 75, 80. Why does man do that? Because
he's a law breaker. It's like going that limit is
just killing him. He just can't do it. Now, if
it's 35, he's fine to go 55. But if the speed limit says 55,
he can't dream of doing 55. He's not satisfied with 55. Man is a law breaker. It's in the nature. It's in the
flesh. Man knows what speed limit means. It means this is the limit that
you're allowed to go. If you go over that, the law
says you're breaking the law and you'll be punished for it.
You'll be condemned for it. But the nature of man wants to
fight against the law. The nature of man wants to break
the law. Those are just two silly little
illustrations, but in all ways, in all forms, in all fashions,
we are sinners, punishable by God. Now, somebody's going to
hear that and say, do you mean to tell me that God would eternally
damn a soul because he broke the speed limit? You're telling me God would eternally
send a soul to hell because he broke the speed limit? That shouldn't
even count. That's nothing. People do that
all the time. People do that every day. Well,
let's ask this question. Yes or no? Is it breaking the
law? Yeah. Look with me, if you would, at
James chapter two. James 2 verse 8, it says, If
you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, thou shalt
love thy neighbor as thyself you do well. But if you have
respect to persons, you commit sin and are convinced of the
law as a transgressor. If you don't love every person
equally, you're a sinner and you're a transgressor. Verse
10 says, For whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend
in one point, he is guilty of all. If it were possible for a man
to fulfill every commandment in the law, and it's not, but
if it were, every commandment in the law of the Word of God
the law that is written on the heart and the law that is written
in the land. If it were possible for a man
to fulfill every commandment of the law perfectly, but he
broke just one commandment, just one knowingly or unknowingly,
people have broken the speed limit, not realized it. knowingly
or unknowingly, if he broke even just one commandment of the law,
he would be a transgressor of the law. That's what God's word
says. He'd be guilty of suffering the
penalty of being a transgressor of the law. It would be on record. This man is a sinner. He has
broken the law. He's transgressed the law. over
in Romans chapter three. It says in Romans three, verse
19. Now we know that what thing so
ever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law,
that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become
guilty before God. The law was given to prove to
every man, every woman. Don't say anything, there's nothing
you can say. All the world is guilty before
God. Well, why is that? Why does it
say that? Verse 23 says, for all have sinned and come short
of the glory of God. That means I have, you have,
all have. All have, this is the truth.
Every person on this earth has broken the law. Every person,
therefore every person on this earth is a sinner. A sinner in
the hands of God, a sinner who must deal with the God who judges
sinners. Now that's the truth. That's
the truth about us. That's the truth about me. That's
the truth about you. All right. Now let's hear the
truth about Christ. We said that our text told us
the truth about us and the truth about Christ. That's the truth
about us. We're sinners. Now here's the
truth about Christ. In Him is no sin. None. In Him is no transgression
of the law. Let me show you that in a few
scriptures over in Psalm 40. Psalm chapter 40. Now this is
the Lord Jesus Christ speaking even though this is from the
Old Testament. This is the Lord Jesus Christ speaking. Psalm
40 verse 7. Then said I, lo I come, In the
volume of the book, it is written of me. I delight to do thy will. Oh my God, speaking to his father. Yea, thy law is within my heart. Thy law is within my heart. Christ said to his father, your
holy perfect law is within my heart. And he said, I delight
to do it. I delight to obey you perfectly. He said, I love thy law. Oh,
I love thy law and I delight to do it. Over in Matthew chapter
five, this is Christ speaking. Matthew five, verse 17. He said,
think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but
to fulfill. 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." Every dot of the
I, every cross of the T, that's what he was saying. It's all
gonna be fulfilled. And he said, I'm gonna fulfill
it. OVER IN LUKE CHAPTER 3, VERSE 21 SAYS, NOW WHEN ALL THE PEOPLE
WERE BAPTIZED, IT CAME TO PASS THAT JESUS ALSO BEING BAPTIZED,
AND PRAYING, THE HEAVEN WAS OPENED, AND THE HOLY GHOST DESCENDED
IN A BODILY SHAPE LIKE A DOVE UPON HIM, AND A VOICE CAME FROM
HEAVEN WHICH SAID, THOU ART MY BELOVED SON, IN THEE I AM WELL
PLEASED. GOD THE FATHER SPOKE OUT LOUD
CONCERNING CHRIST HIS SON, AND HE SAID, YOU ARE PERFECT. YOU ARE PERFECT. OVER IN JOHN
18, VERSE 38 SAYS, PILATE SAITH UNTO THEM, THIS IS OUR LORD STANDING
ON TRIAL, ABOUT TO GO TO THE CROSS, BEING TRIED BY PILATE,
AND PILATE SAID UNTO HIM, WHAT IS TRUTH? And when he had said
this, he went out again unto the Jews and saith unto them,
I find no fault in him at all. That's what Pilate said to all
those Jews who brought the Lord to him. I find no fault in him
at all. John 19 verse four, Pilate therefore
went forth again and said unto them, behold, I bring him forth
to you that you may know that I find no fault in him. He said,
let everybody know, let it be known. I find no fault in him. Verse six, when the chief priests,
therefore, and officers saw him, they cried out saying, crucify
him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, take
ye him and crucify him, for I find no fault in him. You crucify
him because I can't find one reason to. I cannot find one
transgression that he has committed. No fault. OVER IN HEBREWS 4. IT SAYS IN HEBREWS 4 VERSE 15
WE HAVE NOT AN HIGH PRIEST SPEAKING OF CHRIST WHICH CANNOT BE TOUCHED
WITH THE FEELING OF OUR INFIRMITIES BUT WAS IN ALL POINTS TEMPTED
LIKE AS WE ARE YET WITHOUT SIN. YET WITHOUT SIN. TEMPTED JUST
LIKE WE. body was prepared for him he
came in human the likeness of sinful human flesh and he was
tempted just like we are but he didn't sin never committed
sin Romans 10 verse 4 says Christ is the end of the law for righteousness
to everyone that believeth." That means Christ made it all
the way to the end of the law and never broke one. Law after
law after law, he satisfied every single one of them perfectly. All the way to the end, never
broke one. The law examined him and said
he fulfilled every one of them. So here's where we are so far
in this message. In us is all sin. That's all
that we are and in him is no sin. None whatsoever. Now here's the glory of the gospel.
Here's the glory of the gospel. Back in our text, which is 1
John 3, verse 4, it says, whosoever committed sin transgresseth also
the law, for sin is the transgression of the law. And you know that
he was manifested to take away our sins, and in him is no sin. He was manifested to take away
our sins. Our great problem before God
is our sin. You have a problem, I have a
problem. As sinners, it's a fearful thing
to fall into the hands of the living God. It's a fearful thing. We are all sin before God, but
for God's elect people, God chose a people to save. He chose a
people to give them to Christ. All of those chosen people, the
great glory of Christ and the great glory of the gospel, the
amazing grace of the Savior. We sing amazing grace, amazing
gift. It's that He came down, He left
glory and all of His perfection. He came down to take away our
sins. That's why Christ came. Christ
didn't come to show us the way. Christ didn't come to be an example
for us. Christ didn't come for any other
reason than to take away the sin of all the people God the
Father gave to Him. He came to fall into the hands
of the living God for them. So they wouldn't have to. All
of our sins, all of our sin, that's what we are. And all of
our sins, that's what we've done. If we belong to Him, if we are
His chosen people, if the Father gave us to the Son, then all
of the sins of all of His people from every tribe, nation, kindred,
tongue, generation, all the way from the beginning of the world
to the end of the world, He came to take away all of them. All
of them. all of the sins from all of the
people that his father gave to him. Sometimes people get it
in their minds that Christ came, you know, they, there's a moment
when they are saved, they get saved and they think, well, Christ
dealt with all my sins from this moment past. But now I have to
take care of the ones from here in the future. I got to straighten
up and... No, no, no. He came and took all of the sins. He even took the sins that you
haven't committed yet and I haven't committed yet. The sins I will
commit today, tomorrow and every day until my time on this earth
is done. He came and took all of the sins
of all of His people upon Himself to set us free. One man, by the sacrifice of
himself, through the shedding of his own blood, took away all
of that sin. Scripture says a number no man
can number. All the sins of all of his people
What a mighty act, that one mighty act on the cross, that one great
transgression. He fell into the hands of the
living God, that fearful moment in order to take away all the
sin of his people. One sacrifice. There's an old story. I love
this story. There's an old story that's told
of a family a long time ago who was walking to church one Sunday
morning. They lived in town, lived near
the church and they were walking to the church and the little
boy of the family, he was all over the place, just running
and bouncing around like little boys do. And they got to the
church and they sat down in the service and the preacher stood
up and God blessed the message. God truly blessed the message
that morning and everybody heard. From all ages, he had the attention
of everyone who was there listening and he blessed the hearts of
his people. He sent his spirit to them and
he truly set forth the substitution of Christ for his people. That's
what the gospel is. How Christ came and took the
place of his people and endured for them what they deserve and
gave to them what he had earned and deserved. Because you see
in us is all sin and in him is no sin. And that trading of places,
that substitution is the glory of the gospel. That's the glory
of his work. And that was made very effectual
to those people that morning. And they were so blessed by it.
So blessed by it. Well, the preacher was saying
one sacrifice by one sacrifice, once he put it all away, one mighty sacrifice. Lambs all
through the Old Testament pictured the one who would come and all
those lambs, all the blood of bulls and goats, it never did
it, never did it and then this one man came and he shed his
own blood and that was it, it was over, it was finished. Well, on the way home, they were
walking back home and The little boy who was usually just all
over the place, bouncing all over the place. He was very quiet.
He was just walking kind of with his head hanging down a little
bit and his dad noticed it. And he said, son, do you feel
okay? The little boy said, yes, sir. And his dad said, well, is anything
wrong? The little boy said, no, sir. He said, I'm just thinking
about something that the preacher said. His dad said, really, what's
that? He said, well, I was just wondering.
How could the death of one man? Put away so much sin. How could the death of just one
man when there's all of those men and women? All of those boys
and girls, how could the death of one man put away so much sin? The preacher said because of
all of our sin, we all have to die, all of us. But he said by
the death of one man, we get to live. Because of his one death, all
of our sin is taken away and we get to live. How could one
man die for all those other people? Well, his dad didn't know what
to say. He said, hmm. So they kept on
walking just for a moment and all of a sudden his dad stopped
and he tapped his little boy on the shoulder. He said, look
right there. Look right there. Beside the
sidewalk, there was a grasshopper. and his dad, he stooped down
with his son and he said, how many grasshoppers do you think
it would take to equal the life of one little boy? How many grasshoppers
do you think it would take to equal the value and the worth
of the life of one little human boy? And the little boy said,
well, I don't think all the grasshoppers in the world could equal the
value of one little boy. He said, son, the one who came
to die for us is the spotless, perfect, holy, sinless son of
God. God himself became a man. And the scripture says that we
sinful men, women, boys, and girls here on this earth are
counted as nothing more than grasshoppers. That's all that
we are. And because the life of all of
his sinful grasshoppers couldn't even come close, all of them
together, the value, their worth altogether couldn't even come
close to comparing to the life of the perfect God-man, the value
and the worth of the perfect God-man. When he died, by his
one sacrifice, when he traded his life for the lives of all
of his grasshoppers, there was so much value in it, all of them
were saved. It was a payment worth so much,
it so far exceeded what they owed. All of them were saved. So much value in that one man. He came to save his people and
that's what he did. He was able, he was worthy. Thank God he was manifested to
take away our sins. and because in him is no sin,
because his own personal value is so great, because the cost,
the worth of his offering, his gift, his payment, because it
was so great, he was able to accomplish everything he came
to do for every single one of his people. Every single one
of his people. There's a song that says, when
I think that God, his son not sparing, sent him to die, I scarce
can take it in. That on the cross, my burden
gladly bearing, he bled and died to take away my sin. Then sings
my soul. My Savior God to thee, how great
thou art, how great thou art. The child, the soul of every
sinner he did that for will sing that praise to him. He will cry,
thank you, thank you, praise be to the Lord. My sin, oh the
bliss of this glorious thought, my sin not in part but the whole
is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord,
praise the Lord. Until next week, may the Lord
bless that 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 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.