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. If you would like to follow along
with me today, I'm going to be speaking from Hebrews chapter
13. Hebrews 13, the apostle is closing his letter to the Hebrews
with a prayer for them. He has a prayer that he would
like to give on their behalf. It's a prayer and an announcement
for every sinner that the father has chosen throughout the ages.
The apostle gives this to the Hebrews specifically, but this
is for all of God's people. We're going to begin reading
in verse 20, Hebrews 13, verse 20. It says, now the God of peace,
the God of peace. That's, that's wonderful, isn't
it? The God of peace. How glorious
is it that that does not say Now the God of wrath, although
he is, but how glorious is it that that
does not say now the God of judgment and punishment, although he is, it could have said now the God
of eternal damnation. It doesn't say that, but it could
have because he is. Eternal damnation. He is the
one who damns souls eternally, but that's not all that he is.
That's not all that our God is. Verse 20 says, now the God of
peace. Now the God of peace. Do you
know who will hear that and think that's the sweetest thing my
ears have ever heard? You know who will hear that and
truly, truly just fall in love with those words. You know who
will consider that to be the most glorious declaration, the
most glorious announcement that they've ever heard in their life.
It's someone who knows that he's wicked. Someone who knows that
he's guilty before God. guilty because of his sin before
God. Someone who knows that he is
a worker of iniquity. To find out that the holy God,
who as the scripture says, is angry with the wicked every day. Angry with the wicked every day. And the scripture says he will
cast all workers of iniquity into outer darkness. To find
out that that God, that very God is the God of peace, the
God of peace that will make a sinful man, a truly sinful man, a man
who knows something of what he is. That'll make him want to
find out how. How? Just like Job asked. He said, how can man be just
with God? How can man be justified before
God? How? How can God be at peace
with me? And how can I be at peace with
him? How is that possible? Here's
the answer. Hebrews 13 verse 20. Now the God of peace that brought
again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of
the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working
in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight. through Jesus Christ,
to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. That is how the God
of peace made peace for his people. That's how every human being
on this earth is cut from the same lump. the exact same lump. There is no difference in any
of us. There is no difference in you
and me. One human being is not better
than another human being, and one human being is not worse
than another human being. because all human beings are
filled with a loathsome disease. We are infected in every molecule
of our being with sin. We are all ruined by sin. The scripture says all have sinned. It says all are at enmity against
God. That means the enemy of. the
true and living God. Man does not believe he is naturally,
but once he finds out who God truly is and what he has to say
in his word, man says, no, I don't like that. I don't like that
God. I like the God I had made up in my mind. The God who did
things the way I wanted him to do things. Man hears about the
absolute true and living God, and he says, no, I'm the enemy
of that God. Man naturally will not bow to
his sovereignty and will not bow to his authority. Man naturally
will not beg for mercy. He doesn't believe he needs mercy. Man will not naturally believe
what God has written in his word. He believes what he wants to
believe. So all flesh has willingly joined the ranks against the
true and living God. I know that may be a shocking
statement, but it's the truth. The flesh, when the scripture
says that the flesh of man is at enmity against God, it is
telling us the truth. It is at enmity against the Son
of God, Jesus Christ. It is at enmity against the Spirit
of God, the Holy Spirit of God. The apostle Paul said, there
is a war raging within my members. That's what he said. Let me show
that to you. Look with me. If you would at Romans chapter
seven in Romans seven, it says in verse 14, this is the apostle
Paul speaking. He said, for, we know that the
law is spiritual. But I am carnal, sold under sin. He said, I am sold under sin. The apostle Paul said that. He
said in verse 15, for that which I do, I allow not. I don't know
why I do it. But what I would, that do I not. What I wish I did, what I ought
to be doing, I don't do it. But what I hate, the sinful things
that I hate that I do. He said, that's all I do. If
then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that
it's good. He's saying, I acknowledge the
law is good and right, and I'm wrong. Now then it is no more
I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. Sin has ruined me. For
I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. Somebody will say, come on, Paul,
no good thing, really? You mean there's nothing good
in you? He said, no good thing. Not in my flesh. He said, for
to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is
good, I find not. I cannot find a way for this
wicked, sinful flesh to do good. My mind ruins things, my heart
ruins everything. Verse 19, he said, for the good
that I would, I do not, but the evil which I would not, that's
what I do. Now, if I do that I would not,
it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I'm
just, I'm a captive to sin. I'm a prisoner of my own sin.
I find then a law that when I would do good, evil is present with
me. Every time I try to do good,
evil is right there. For I delight in the law of God
after the inward man, but I see another law in my members, warring
against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to
the law of sin, which is in my members. Oh, wretched man that
I am." The Apostle Paul said that. Oh, wretched man that I
am. Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? Who shall deliver me from this
war? This war that's raging in me,
warring in my flesh, warring in my mind, warring in my soul. Who shall deliver me? Here's
the answer. The God of peace. We have a deliverer,
the God of peace, the God who ends the war, the God who finishes
the fight. There's a song, an old song.
I love this song. It says, here's some of the lines
in the song. It says, against the God who
rules the sky, I fought with hand uplifted high. despised
the mention of his grace, too proud to seek a hiding place. But thus the eternal counsel
ran. Almighty love, arrest that man. I was at war with him. I was
too proud to seek His face. I didn't want His grace. But
God said, Almighty Love, arrest that man. Put an end to this
war. Break down that middle wall of
partition between us and abolish the enmity. Put it away. Almighty
Love, who is Almighty Love? Jesus Christ. Almighty love,
make in yourself one new man, so making peace. The glorious
news of eternity, the glorious declaration of all eternity is
this. God made peace in spite of us,
in spite of the fact that we didn't even want peace. God made
peace. That's what the angels cried
when they announced the birth of our Savior. They said, peace
has come to earth. They said, goodwill has come
to men. That was the angels announcement
while they stood at the empty tomb. That was their announcement
as he came to earth. That was the announcement as
they stood at the empty tomb. God has made peace. That's what
they were declaring. God has made peace. He is not
here. He's not here. Come see the place
where he laid. Come see the place where he made
peace. It's finished. It's finished. back in Hebrews chapter 13. What
I would like for us to see in these two verses is why, who,
when, what, and where. All right, let's look at why,
who, when, what, and where. Why Christ died, who he died
for, when this work was accomplished, what it was unto and where all
the praise has to go. All right, verse 20, Hebrews
13, verse 20. It says, now the God of peace
that brought again from the dead, our Lord Jesus. Why did Christ die? Why did he
die? The natural answer is to make
peace. But what did it take to make peace? What did it truly
take to make peace? What was accomplished in his
death? Why did Christ suffer all the
way to the grave? Why? Was it so he could make
salvation possible for people? Was it so he could just put out
a general offer? He shed his blood as a general
offer to anyone who may be interested. If anyone's interested, it's
just laid out there. You can take it or you can leave
it. It's up to you. Is that why Christ died? If that's the case. If he died
just to offer peace to man. Just to put it on the table for
man. And it's ready if he wants to
take it. If that is the case, then no peace will be had. If it is just offered to man,
no peace will be had. We can cry, peace, peace, all
we want to, but there will be no peace. And the reason is because
we just stated how sinful man is and how wicked man is and
how man is the natural enemy of God. Man does not want to
take peace if it's just offered to him. He's not interested. He is not interested. Man is
not interested in being saved on God's terms. He's interested
in being saved on his own terms. So if peace is just offered through
the blood alone and the work alone of the Lord Jesus Christ,
then no peace is going to be had for anyone. But that's not
why Christ died. That is not why. He did not die
to offer peace. He died to make peace. He died to make peace. I just quoted this to you, but
if you're turning with me, look at Ephesians chapter two. Boy,
I love this chapter so much. Ephesians chapter two, verse
14, it says, for he is our peace. He is our peace. How did he make
peace? By becoming peace. He is our peace. The verse just
before it, verse 13, it says, but now in Christ Jesus, ye who
sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. He didn't just mediate between
both sides of the war. He brought the war into his own
body. God's purity and man's iniquity
met in Him. God's righteousness and man's
wickedness met in Him. They engaged in Him. And in that moment, in the Lord
Jesus Christ, the holiness of God cried, for this cause came
I into the world. And in that moment in Christ,
the sinfulness of man cried, mine iniquity is more than I
can bear. God was in Christ reconciling
his people to himself, all of his people throughout all the
world. and His people were in Christ being reconciled to God. The enmity was slain, sin was
conquered, victory and peace was won. Every bit of that happened
in the Lord Jesus Christ. And Christ proved that to us
when He bore our sins all the way to the grave. He proved it
to us And as us, as our substitute, God raised him from the dead.
When it was all finished and peace was won, God raised him
from the dead as our substitute. God raised us from the dead in
him. declaring peace, declaring peace. It says in verse 13, but now
in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by
the blood of Christ, for he is our peace who hath made both
one and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between
us, having abolished in his flesh the enmity Even the law of commandments
contained in ordinances for to make in himself of twain one
new man. So making peace. So making peace. That's why Christ came. That's
the reason why Christ came to be our peace as long as he stands. We have peace with God. As long
as he stands, we will have peace with God. Now back in Hebrews
13, who did Christ die for? Why did
he come and why did he die? To make peace. Who did he die
for? Who has peace with God? Verse
20 says, now the God of peace that brought again from the dead,
our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep. that great shepherd
of the sheep, God chose a particular people to save. He did. He chose a particular people
to save. He continually calls them his
sheep over in John chapter 10. It says in verse 11, our Lord
said in verse 11, I'm the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth
his life for the sheep. That's who Christ died for. He
said, I'm giving my life for my sheep. In verse 14, he said,
I am the good shepherd and know my sheep and am known of mine. As the father knoweth me, even
so know I the father and I lay down my life for the sheep. And
other sheep I have, which are not of this fold, them also I
must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be
one fold and one shepherd." Well, is everybody a sheep? He said,
I'm laying down my life for the sheep. Well, is everybody a sheep?
Is every soul on earth one of his sheep? Verse 24, it says,
then came the Jews round about him and said unto him, how long
dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us
plainly. Now listen to this right here.
Jesus answered them, I told you, and you believed not. The works
that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. But
you believed not because. You are not of my sheep, as I
said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I
know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal
life, and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand. No man. God has accomplished
peace through the blood of his Son. and he has accomplished
it for his sheep, his particular people. All right now, when did
he accomplish it? Back in Hebrews 13 verse 20 says,
now the God of peace that brought again from the dead, our Lord
Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of
the everlasting covenant. everlasting covenant, God, the
father, God, the son, and God, the spirit made a covenant with
each other. That's just glorious. They made
a covenant with each other to do this, to accomplish this for
their sheep. And they made that covenant before
the foundation of the world, before the world ever existed
before it was ever created. There was a lamb slain. before there was ever a man on
the earth to sin. Think about this. Think about
the purpose of God, the foreknowledge of God, the sovereignty of God,
the kindness of God. Before there was ever a man in
existence to sin, there was a covenant made to put away man's sin. That's wonderful. The promises
of God, the gifts, the calling, the covenant, They're without
repentance. That's what God said. They're
unchangeable. What God does is forever. Peace is forever. Sin trying
to ruin the peace of God's sheep. Sin trying to creep in and create
war again will never be a possibility. It will never be a possibility.
It is everlasting peace through an everlasting covenant. Back in Hebrews 10, it says in
verse 11, every priest standeth daily, ministering, offering
oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever,
sat down on the right hand of God, forever. One sacrifice forever. Christ made peace through His
own death. He made peace for every sheep
His Father chose to save. It was ordered and sure before
the foundation of the world. It is an everlasting covenant
of blood. Now what is all that unto? Well,
it says in verse 21, Hebrews 13, 21, it will make you perfect
in every good work to do his will, working in you that which
is well-pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ. Every good
work in a child of God is God working in that child. That's what it's unto. Philippians
2 says, it is God which worketh in you both to will and do of
his good pleasure. All of his sheep will be willing
to do his good pleasure. He will perform a perfect work
in us, causing us to do his will. What is his will? He said, this
is my beloved son, hear him. believe on him, follow him. We just read in John 10, he said,
my sheep believe me, they believe my word, they hear my voice and
they follow me. And if that's us, that's what
we'll do. We will believe his word. We will believe that he
has finished peace with God for us. If we hear his voice as our
great shepherd saying, come to me, I'll give you peace and rest. We'll do it. We'll come to him. We will trust that the father's
drawing us to him. And we will know that we're one
of his sheep because we have a heart to be with him where
he is. We follow him. So verse 21, the end of verse
21 says, To whom be glory forever and
ever. Amen. Who does all the glory
go to? Where does all the glory go?
Praise and glory belongs to whom? To whom? Our worship does not
revolve around a what? It revolves around a whom. It's
all about a whom. The God that made peace for us,
the Lord Jesus Christ, to Him. To whom? To Him alone be glory
forever and ever. Amen. All praise, all glory goes
to the Lord Jesus Christ alone. That's what all of his sheep
will say. To God be the glory. Great things he hath done. Until
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.