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 am going to be speaking to
you today from 1 John chapter 3. First John chapter three,
if you'd like to turn there with me in your Bible, I love how
this chapter begins. I love the first word of this
chapter. First John three, verse one says,
behold. Behold, that's the first word
of this particular chapter, behold. That word behold means perceive
this. It means be in awe of this, give
special attention to this. Behold, that's a wonderful word. Throughout the scripture, the
word behold comes at some very important moments. some very,
very important moments. Some very full of awe moments. Isaiah 7 verse 14 says, Behold,
behold, think about this, pay special close attention to this. Behold, a virgin shall conceive
and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel behold God
is coming to you. That's what that verse said God
is coming and when the time came when he
did come the angels announced his coming, the angels appeared
to some shepherds that were abiding in the field, keeping watch over
their flock by night. And this is what the angels said
to those shepherds. They said, behold, behold, we bring you good tidings
of great joy. They said unto you is born this
day. Today, he was promised that he
would come through all of that time, all of those years, all
of those prophets prophesied that he would come and they said
he came today. Today was the day. Unto you is
born this day in the city of David, that very savior who was
promised would come. Christ Jesus the Lord. There
are some full of awe moments attached to this word, behold. When the Lord came at that appointed
time, and it was time for him to begin his ministry, John the
Baptist was standing by a river one day, he was preaching to
a group of people, and this Lord Jesus Christ walked up, and this
is what John cried. He said, The Lamb of God, which taketh
away the sin of the world. He said, behold, there he is
right there. God's substitute sacrifice. The sacrifice God provided for
the sin of all of his people, all of his chosen people. As
a picture of what our Lord would do for his people, He stayed
where he was for four days when his friend Lazarus was sick so
that Lazarus could die. The Lord allowed him to die. And after Lazarus did die, our
Lord went to his grave and he stood there at his grave weeping. And you think about that moment,
think about what it must have been like for all those who were
watching him. You talk about a full of awe
moment, standing there watching the God man as he just wept and
wept. Every person who saw it, this
is what they said, they said, behold, how he loved him. Just look, just pay special attention
to how he loved him. And the Lord proved that he loved
Lazarus by crying, Lazarus come forth, live, I've come to bring
life to you. And when Lazarus did come forth,
the Lord said, loose him and let him go. That's what our Lord does for
all of his people. Our Lord has a particular people
that the Father has given to him. The Father chose a particular
people to save. And to every one of those people,
our Lord comes to those people and he says, live, he gives life
to them. And he loses them from the bondage
of their sin and the bondage of their religion. and he sets them free. Sets them
free from the curse. He sets them free from themselves. He sets all of them free. How
did our Lord set his people free from the curse, the curse of
sin? Here's how he did it. He was made to be a curse for
them. He took it all upon himself.
For every soul that he did that for, the scripture says he's
coming back to gather every one of them. Every single one. And this is what Revelation 1
verse 7 says. It says, behold, every eye shall
see him. You think about that. Every eye
that has ever existed. Every eye shall see him. It says,
even the very ones who pierced him 2000 years ago, they're going
to see him coming back in all of his glory. And it says, all
the kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so,
amen. Those are all full of awe declarations,
full of awe moments. And our text right here is no
different. This one is no different. This is a behold moment. First John three, verse one says,
What manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us that we
should be called the sons of God? The sons of God, behold,
be in awe of the fact that some sinful sons of Adam have been
made to be sons of God. You talk about something to be
in awe of. Sinful sons of Adam made to be
sinless sons of God. What did it take? What did it
honestly take for a sinful son of Adam to be made or to be called
a son of God? What did it take? Well, it took
an indescribable love. an indescribable love, an amazing
love. That's what it took. He said,
behold, what manner of love? What manner? Just behold, be
in awe of, just perceive, dwell on. What manner of love? What manner the love was? When you look up the word manner,
when you look it up in the Bible dictionary, This is what the
word means. It means from what country, where
it came from, that's what it means, where it came from. It
means what sort or quality. And it means at what time. It means how long, it means when.
Now think about this. Behold where this love came from. What manner? Behold where it
came from. It came from God. Came from God. We weren't made
to be sons so that God could love us. We were made to be sons
because God did love us. God did love his people. It came
to us from God. If you look at 1 John 4, the
next chapter over, 1 John 4 verse 9 says, in this was manifested
the love of God toward us, God's people. Because that God sent
his only begotten son into the world that we might live through
him. Verse 10 says, herein is love,
not that we loved God. but that he loved us and sent
his son to be the propitiation for our sins. That tells us not
only where it's from, that also tells us what sort or quality
it is. What did that love do? How deep
did it go? How effectual was it? How sincere
was it? There's a saying and I'm sure
you know it that saying is actions speak louder than words. Actions
speak louder than words. Well he gave us his words and
he gave us his actions. Greater love had no man than
this. He laid down his life for his
friends. Who were his friends? Who did
he love? Who did he truly love? Verse
10 right here, 1 John 4, verse 10. It says, herein is love,
not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son
to be the propitiation for our sins. Our sins. He loved sinners. That's who
he loved, he loved sinners. If you have your Bible there,
let's read Romans five together. Romans chapter five, verse one,
it says, therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ. By whom also we have access by
faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope
of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory
in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience. And patience experience, and
experience hope. And hope maketh not ashamed,
because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy
Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without
strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous
man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man some would even
dare to die. But God commended His love toward
us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more than being now justified
by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him." We'll
be saved from wrath through Him. It says, for if when we were
enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son,
Much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. He said he commended his love
to the ungodly, his enemies. That's who he commended it to.
Behold, that's worthy of a behold. Amazing love, how can it be that
thou, my God, would die for me? Ungodly, an ungodly sinner like
me. So behold where this love came
from. Behold the quality, the effectual
quality of it. And behold at what time. Behold
how long. Behold when the Father bestowed
this love on us. This is what he said. He said,
I have loved you with an everlasting love. In the Lord Jesus Christ, all
of his people were placed in Christ. And in Christ, God the
Father said, in him, I've loved you with an everlasting love.
He said, I love you from eternity to eternity in Christ. In John
13, I love this verse of scripture, John 13, verse one, it says,
Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour
was come, that he should depart out of this world unto the father,
having loved his own, which were in the world, he loved them unto
the end. He loved them all the way to
the end. Behold, what manner of love. Behold, what manner
of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, sinners like us, sinners
like us. But the scripture says chosen
of God, chosen to be his people, chosen to be given to Christ. That's what all of God's people
were chosen to. They were chosen to be given
to Christ, chosen to believe on him, chosen to receive his
spirit, receive his faith. believe in Him and believe on
Him. And it says back in our text, 1 John 3 verse 1, it says,
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us
that we should be called the sons of God. The sons of God. Behold, what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called sons
of God. That's worthy of a behold. Think
about that. Sons of God. In Christ, that's
what sinners are made to be. Sons of God. How were all of
God's people made to be sons of God? How, if we belong to
Him, how were we made to be sons of God? Well, 1 John 1, verse
10 tells us, He, speaking of the Lord Jesus
Christ, it says, He was in the world, and the world was made
by Him, and the world knew Him not. Now that's worthy of a behold,
isn't it? That's amazing. He was in the
world, the world was made by Him, the world knew Him not.
He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as
many as received him, it does not say as many as accepted him,
which is what many people will stand up and say. Now, you have
to accept him. That's not so. As many as received
him. It just said the verse before
it, his people didn't want to have anything to do with him.
They were irresistibly given him. outside of their will, in
spite of their will. God's work of grace is irresistible. That's worthy of a behold. But
it says, as many as received him, to them gave he power to
become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.
And how did they become sons? Verse 13 says, they were born
into it, which were born not of blood, That means not in a
family tree. We're not saved because our parents
were saved and our grandparents were saved and we were born into
that family. Therefore. Of blood, that's not
how it's not how it works, he said, not of blood, he went on
to say, nor of the will of the flesh. Men and women are not
made to be sons of God, they're not saved because of any decision
they make. It's not the will of the flesh.
It goes on to say, nor of the will of man, any other man or
woman, no other man or woman can do it for us. Verse 13 says,
it's all of God. It's of God. All of God's people
are made to be children. They're made to be sons by birth. They are all born of God, born
of God. It's a new creation. A new life
is given. directly from the Spirit of God.
There's a song that says, Blessed assurance, the Lord Jesus is
mine. Oh, what a foretaste of glory
divine. Heir of salvation. A child is
an heir. Heir of salvation, purchase of
God, born of His Spirit, washed in His blood. This is my story. This is my song. I was just made
to be a son of God. God just made me to be a son
of God by birth. God's people were all made to
be sons by birth, but that's not the only way that they were
made to be sons. If you look at Romans chapter
eight, it says in verse 14, as many as are led by the spirit
of God, they are the sons of God. For you have not received
the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have received the
spirit of adoption. Whereby we cry, Abba, Father. Not only are we sons of God by
birth, we're sons of God by adoption. That means that a covenant was
made. That means a promise was made. It also means a payment
was made. A promise has been given to all
of God's people. Ephesians 1 says that that promise
is by Jesus Christ to himself. And that means he says to his
people, you're mine by birth and you're mine by adoption. You're mine by birth and you're
mine by payment. The song we just quoted said,
born of his spirit, washed in his blood. Both of them. There's no way that it can be
said to a child of God that he is not God's. He doesn't belong
to God. God by birth. God by payment. Adoption payment. I want to give
you an illustration of that. This story has been told of a
little boy in Mexico. This story was told many, many
years ago. But it's told that there was this little boy who
saw a kite and he wanted one, he wanted to own one and he kept
asking his father if he would buy him a kite, he wanted a kite
so badly. And his father was a very hard
working man but he didn't make hardly any money, they were poor,
they were so poor and it broke his father's heart that he just
couldn't buy his son a kite, he just didn't have the money.
So he told his son, he said, why don't we make a kite? Let's
you and I make a kite. And the little boy was so excited,
he said, yeah, let's make a kite. So they got some sticks and they
whittled them down and they twined them together into a A-frame
and they found a very lightweight cloth and they sewed it to that
frame and they put a tail on it and attached a string to it
and they threw it up into the air and it flew. And the little
boy was so excited, just so happy and he let that string out and
the kite went higher and higher and higher until the string broke
and the kite blew over the tree line, it was gone. And oh, that
little boy was so broken hearted, he was just crushed, he was so
crushed. The father was crushed for him.
Well, a few days later, that little boy was walking in the
village, and as he was walking down the main street of the village,
he looked over, and in a store, sitting on a shelf, was his kite. So he ran into that store, and
he told the man behind the counter, he said, he said, Mr., that's
my kite. And the man said, no, son, that's
my kite. And he said, but Mr., my father
and I made that kite. That's our kite. And the store
owner said, son, I found this kite in the weeds and it's mine
now. And he said, if you want it,
it's going to cost you two pesos. You're going to have to buy it.
So that little boy ran home and he told his father, he said,
I found our kite. It's in a store in the village. And the man said that if I want
it, it's going to cost me two pesos. So his father reached
into his pocket and he pulled out two pesos and the little
boy ran back into the village and he ran into that store and
he put his money on the counter and he said, two pesos. And the
store owner picked up the kite and handed it to the little boy
and that little boy hugged that kite. And as he was walking out
of that store, he said, you're mine. That's what he was saying
to the kite. He said, you're mine. He said, you're twice mine. I made you and I bought you. I made you and I bought you. That's what Christ did for his
people. That is exactly what Christ did for his people. He made them and he bought them. Behold, Behold, that's love. Behold what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called sons
of God. Sons by creation, sons by adoption,
sons by birth and payment. Right here in Romans 8, verse
16, it says, the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit
that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs,
heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. If so be that we
suffer with him, that we may be glorified together. joint heirs with Christ. Over
in Galatians 4, it says that God has sent the Spirit of His
Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore, it says,
thou art no more a servant, but a son. And if a son, an heir
of God through Christ. An heir of God through Christ.
This is life eternal that men and women might know him. This
is life eternal that we might know him. Our text says in 1
John 3, behold, what manner of love the father hath bestowed
upon us that we should be called the sons of God. Therefore, the
world knoweth us not because it knew him not. Life is in knowing
him. The scripture says, no man knows
the son but the father, and no man knows the father but the
son, and he to whomsoever the son will reveal him. This is
a precious assurance that he gives to his people, that he
would reveal himself, reveal who he truly is, what he's truly
done, who he truly did it for, and why he truly did it. Why
he did it. He did it for the salvation of
His people and for the glory of His person. And all of His
people cry, amen. Thank God. And that's what we'll
be crying the rest of our days. If God the Father sent His Son
to redeem us, if He made us and bought us, then for all eternity,
we will cry, thank God. Thank God that we have been made
to be a part of His family. I pray the Lord will bless His
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 730 p.m. Please tune in next week for
another message of God's free and sovereign grace.