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 Luke chapter 19. Luke 19. And I want to begin
this message by telling you a sad incident that happened to me,
a sad incident that I experienced that brought this message about.
I was traveling on a trip, driving down the interstate, and I passed
a billboard that was a missing persons billboard. and it caught
my attention and I had just a split second to read it and look at
it, but it was a very, very big, very expensive looking billboard. And it had a picture of a young
teenage boy on it. And it had some last seen details
on it. But the thing that caught my
attention is I recognized that it did not look like it was a
A billboard done by a big company. It looked like it was done by
a parent. And as soon as I realized that,
my heart just sunk. Oh, my heart sunk. I felt for
every person involved. I put myself in their shoes and
it just, it just, it hurt me. It just crushed me. Can you imagine? I know some, many have had to
endure that heartache and endure that, that trial, but I thought
I put myself in that parent's shoes and I thought, what if
that was me posting that picture? Oh, can you imagine? What if
that was me posting that picture? And then I thought, what if that
was my picture? What if that was my picture on
that billboard? Well, as I was thinking about
all of that, it was rolling through my mind. This verse of scripture
came to me. This glorious verse of scripture
came to me, and it's Luke 19 verse 10. It says. For the son
of man. Is come. To seek. And to save. That which was lost. that which was lost. When that verse of scripture
came to me as I was thinking, what if, what if I was in their
shoes or what if that was me? It hit me. That was me. All of God's people were in that
condition. All of God's people went through
this life. Either they were in that condition
or they are in that condition and God's spirit will come to
them and he'll find them wherever they are. But the truth is that
all of God's people are in that very same condition. It brought a real sense of reality
to where we are by nature. what our condition is by nature. But here's the glory of the good
news. Our Lord was able to remedy that
condition. He was able to do something about
it. He was able to seek and to save that which was lost. He sought them. And he saved
them. And that's comforting, isn't
it? That's so comforting. The faithfulness of the Lord
Jesus Christ, the faithfulness, the faithfulness is so comforting. His faithfulness in seeking and
finding and saving his people. It's what brings absolute comfort
to the heart of a child of God. He is going to seek. That's good
news. He's going to seek. And he's
going to find. all of his people back a few
pages in Luke 15. It says in Luke 15 verse three,
he spake this parable unto them saying, what man of you having
an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the
99 in the wilderness and go after that which is lost until he find
it. until he find it. That that is
a blessing to me. I love that. I love hearing that
about him. You know, anybody can go looking for something.
Anybody can. But that doesn't mean they're
going to find it. Anybody can. Sometimes people have to give
up. Not this man. Not this man. Everyone that he
seeks. He finds. every single one. Not one time has he ever sought
his own and not founding. Not one time. Verse four says,
what man of you having 100 sheep, if he lose one of them, doth
not leave the 99 in the wilderness and go after that which is lost
until he find it. And when he hath found it, he
layeth it on his shoulders rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth
his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, rejoice with me, for
I have found my sheep, which was lost. That's glorious news,
isn't it? That's glorious news. Look with
me at John 17. In John 17, verse 10, our Lord
said, he said this to his father, All mine are thine, and thine
are mine, and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more
in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine
own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one
as we are. While I was with them in the
world, I kept them in thy name. those that thou gavest me i have
kept and none of them is lost but the son of perdition that
the scripture might be fulfilled he said not one of them not one
soul that you gave to me not one of the father's chosen sheep
is lost not one not one of god's children Think about this. Not one of God's children will
ever end up being a missing person. Not one of God's children. Not
one time will it be said that there was an elect soul chosen
unto salvation with Christ, but Christ just couldn't find him.
Not one time. He was just too lost. The soul
was just too lost. Not one time, never, never has
a soul ever been too lost. Never, never will it be said
that a soul was predetermined by God, the father to be in glory,
but he just didn't make it in. It just couldn't be found. Now,
how do we know that? How can we say not one time?
How do we know that? We know that because the son
of man, The son of man is the one who came to seek and to save
that which was lost. It's not just anybody who's doing
the seeking. We're not just speaking of anybody
here. It's not just anybody who came to save. It's the son of
man. Now over in John chapter 12,
if you'd like to look at that with me, John 12. It says the
people asked a question. And they asked a very good question.
This is a good question. This is a question that every
soul. Ought to ask every soul on this earth. And the reason
is because every soul on this earth needs to know the answer
to this. I need to know the answer to this. You need to know the
answer to this. John 12 verse 34. It says the
people answered him. We have heard out of the law.
That Christ abideth forever. And how sayest thou, the son
of man must be lifted up. Now here was their question.
Who is this son of man? That was their question. Who
is the son of man? That's a question everybody needs
to know the answer to. That is a critical, critical
question. When the scripture speaks of
the son of man, What does that mean? Who is he? Who is he? Well, that phrase is used two
ways in the scripture. As you read down through the
verses, you will see it used in two different ways. One has
a capital S, capital S, son of man. The other way has a lowercase
S, son of man. When it is a lowercase S, it's
speaking of the son of a man. the physical son of a physical
man, the sinful offspring of a sinful man. That's what it's
speaking of. David said in Psalm 8, what is
man that thou art mindful of him or the son of man, lowercase
s, that thou visitest him? What is the son of man? Why would
you have anything to do with a sinful son of a man? The answer to David's question
is in the capital S son of man. Who is this capital S son of
man? Well, in Matthew 16, It says in Matthew 16 verse 13,
when Jesus came into the coast of Caesarea Philippi, he asked
his disciples saying, whom do men say that I, the son of man
am, capital S, son of man, whom do men say that I, the son of
man am? Verse 14, and they said, some say thou art John the Baptist,
some Elias or Elijah, others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. He said unto them, but whom say
ye that I am? Simon Peter answered and said,
thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. To say that
he is the capital S son of man is to say that he is the Christ. The son of the living God. Now,
what does that mean? To say that, what does that mean?
Does that mean he is God's son? Is that what it means? Who is
this son of man? In Matthew 22, our Lord asked
the question, what think ye of Christ? Whose son is he? They said, he's the son of David. He said, then why did David call
him Lord? If he is his son, why did David
call him Lord? If he is his son, people have
a general idea. This general idea is a wrong
idea. We human beings are naturally
ignorant to the things of God, and it's wrong. Our general idea
is wrong, but people have some kind of wrong general idea of
what to make of God. They have some thought on God,
and people have a very general, very wrong, uninformed idea of
what to make of men. They can somehow rationalize
God and men, but people naturally have no idea what to make of
Jesus Christ, the Lord. They have no idea who is he? Who is he? People see him to
be somewhere between God and men, but they don't really consider
him to be either one. They really don't. He's somewhere
in between, but he's not really either one. Well, who is he?
Until the Son of Man comes, and this is what happens. God's Spirit
reveals the truth of Christ. God's Spirit reveals the truth
of who the Son of Man really is. The Son of Man seeks, the
Son of Man finds, the Son of Man saves and starts carrying
his people home. A man, when he is lost, he remains
that way until he's found. A man who is blind, he remains
that way until the moment he sees. But once he sees, once
God gives him eyes to see Christ in all of his glory, in all of
his accomplishment, in all of his work, he sees who the son
of man is. He sees and knows who the son
of man is, and this is who he is. He is God manifest in the
flesh. God's man and not just God's
man. The God man. The God man. He is the union of God. And man, the Lord Jesus Christ,
Jesus of Nazareth. Is not like God. I'm going to
repeat that. That's critical. This man, Jesus
of Nazareth. Jesus Christ, the Lord. He's
not like God. He's not similar to God. He is
God. He is God, the express image
of God, the father, God, the son, and God, the spirit. There's
only one God. The natural mind just can't hardly
fathom this. It can't fathom this, but by
the spirit, we believe it. There's only one God. in three
persons. There's only one God in three
separate persons, but all of their fullness dwells in the
man. God, the father, God, the son,
God, the spirit. They are one. They're one. They're not ranked differently.
God, the father, God, the son, and God, the spirit. It's not
a vertical ranking. It's a horizontal ranking. They're
all one. They're one. They are three separate
individuals who cannot be separated. The Lord said, if you've seen
me, you've seen the father. If God sends the Spirit to a
sinner, it's the Spirit of Christ Himself. All the fullness of
God dwells in Jesus Christ, the man. The man. He is not like a man. Jesus Christ
is not similar to a man. He's a man. He's a man. God is a man. It's amazing. Somebody will say, I thought
God was a spirit. Haven't you told me before that
God is a spirit? Yes, he is. Haven't you said
before that God is invisible? No man had seen him at any time.
Yes, he is. But you're saying that God is
a man. Yes, he is. Isn't God a father? Yes, he is. But God is a son. Yes, he is.
all the fullness, all the fullness. He is a perfect, sinless, holy,
righteous man. That's what enables him to seek
and to save that which was lost. The fact that he is a man, this
word of God says to be lost is to be infected with sin. That's
what it is. To be lost is to be infected
with sin and it's to be spiritually dead. Wherefore, as by one man,
sin entered into the world and death by sin. It took a sinless
living man to seek and to save lost men. That's what it took. So God came, no one else could
do it. So God came in the person of
a sinless man. He made himself to be. Sinless
man. The son of man. The scripture
says he was born of a woman. That's a man. Born of a woman. Perfectly born under the law. Made himself subject to the law
that every man and woman is subject to. He did that to redeem them
that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption
of sons. And this is how he did it. Just
flip with me through a couple of scriptures mentioning the
son of man. Go with me over to Matthew chapter
nine. It says in Matthew nine, verse six, but that you may know that the
son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins. Then sayeth
he to the sick of the palsy, arise, take up thy bed and go
unto thine house. The son of man has power on earth
to forgive sins. He has that power. Not only does
he have the power to forgive sins, he has the desire and he
has the willingness in his heart That's why he came. It was because
of his desire and his willingness. Over in Matthew chapter 11, it
says in verse 19, the son of man came eating and drinking
and they say, behold, a man gluttonous and a winebibber, a friend. of publicans and sinners. He is the friend of the lost. That's why he came. He came because
he was the only man who could redeem. It came because of the
desire in his heart to redeem. He is the friend of the lost. He's the friend of centers. He
said, I didn't come to call the righteous. I came to call centers. He said, I didn't come for the
whole. Those who see themselves to be well, healthy before God,
he said, they don't need the physician. He said, but the sick
do. Those who are sick with sin,
that's who I came for. And the fact of the matter is,
if a man is going to be saved, he has to be lost. If he's going
to be saved, if he's going to be found, he has to be lost. That's who the son of man came
for. The lost, not just the spiritually confused a little bit, which
is what many see themselves to be. Not just the doctrinally
turned around a little bit, which is what many see themselves and
others to be. He said the lost. The lost, that's
who Christ sought. And that's who Christ saved. Now, how did he save him? That's
who he sought. How did he save? Well, in Matthew
chapter 12, it says in verse 40, for as Jonah was three days
and three nights in the whale's belly, So shall the son of man
be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. How did he save? How did he save
his people? He was three days and three nights
in the grave. He died. Do you know that a lot
of men have died? A lot of men have been lifted
up on crosses. Even John chapter three says,
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must
the son of man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in him should
not perish, but have eternal life. He was lifted up on the
cross. But do you know that he wasn't
the only man lifted up on a cross that day? He had a man on each
side of him hanging on a cross. Many men were lifted up on crosses
throughout the ages, many men. Over in Matthew 17, it says in
Matthew 17, verse nine, as they came down from the mountain,
Jesus charged them saying, tell the vision to no man until the
son of man be risen again from the dead. He was raised from
the dead. But do you know that he's not
the only person who was ever raised from the dead? Elijah raised people from the
dead. Elisha raised people from the
dead. Our Lord himself raised other
people from the dead. The apostles raised people from
the dead. It says in Matthew 27 that when our Lord arose from
the grave, many of the saints that were in graves around Him
arose with Him and went into town and they started talking
to people. What made His death? What made His burial and His
resurrection accomplish salvation? What made His accomplishment
salvation? It's because he was the only
sinless man. He was the only man who had no
sin of his own for God to judge. That made him to be the only
man who was able to take the sin of another to himself. He was the only perfect spotless
offering that was lifted up all the way to God, not just lifted
up before men, but lifted up before God. And he was the only
man that rose from the grave never to die again. Every other
man that was risen from the dead died again. Not this man, not
the son of man. He was the only man that was
able to accomplish what God his father sent him to do. And he
accomplished it. Eternal life. He was able to
accomplish it, He was willing to accomplish it, and He accomplished
it. It's done. It's done. Because
of that, because of Him, not one chosen soul of the Father,
not one child of God will ever be lost. Because of Him, they
will all be sought, they will all be found, They will all be
kept. They'll all be saved for the
son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. And that's good news. That is
good news. That's good news to me. I pray that's good news to
you. I pray that we enter into the
glory of what he has done the glory of what who he has found. all of his people, none of them
is lost. In Christ, never lost. I pray that that's gonna be the
comfort of our souls. I pray that the Lord will feed
us with that, cause us to truly enter into that and rejoice from
the heart. The only man who could came,
sought, and saved. If God gave us to Christ, we'll
never be lost. And that's the key. Oh Lord,
give us to Christ. In Christ, eternally saved. Till
next week, may the Lord 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.