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 have a very serious message
for us today. I have a very, very serious message. It is going to come from 1 Corinthians
chapter 16. If you would like to turn there
and read along with me, it's very important. It's a very critical
message, something that we all must hear. The text will be 1
Corinthians 16, verse 22, which says, if any man love not the
Lord Jesus Christ, Let him be anathema, maranatha. If any man love not the Lord
Jesus Christ, let him be anathema. That word means cursed. Maranatha means when the Lord
returns. It means the Lord is at hand. If any man or woman love not
the Lord Jesus Christ, Then the scripture says, let that man
or woman be cursed when the Lord comes back. That's serious, isn't
it? That's serious. That is the issue
of eternal life and eternal death. That's the issue of salvation
and damnation. That's the heart of it all. And
honestly, it's that simple. It's that simple. The Lord asked
his disciples this question. This was the critical question
that he asked them. What think ye of Christ? That was the question. What think
ye of Christ? The scripture says, he that hath
the son hath life. He that loves the Son and has
union with the Son has life. To have Him is to have life.
But if any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, does not have the
Lord Jesus Christ, does not have union with Him, does not desire
Him, does not need Him, then let that man be cursed when the
Lord returns. Now, as simple and as critical
and clear as that statement is, we must understand what it means. That's a very simple and easy
to understand sentence, but what does it truly mean? What does
it truly mean? If we miss this, we will be cursed
when he comes back. I don't want to miss this. And
I don't want you to miss this. If we miss what he is truly saying
right here and what it means, we will be cursed. No matter
what we've heard up to this point, everybody has heard things in
religion and heard things concerning the Bible and no matter what
we've heard up to this point, no matter what we have Listened
to a man stands in a pulpit and people sit in pews and No matter what we've heard If
we miss this and if we find out in the end that we did not actually
love the Lord Jesus Christ On that day that he returns or
on the day that He is at hand, whether He returns or whether
He takes us to stand before Him. If we miss this, we will be cursed.
If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema
maranatha. Now, let's search the scripture
to see if the scriptures will reveal what it means. Let's not
take any man's word for it, any man's opinion on it. Don't just
listen to me on it. I'd like for both of us to listen
to God on it. Let's see what God has to say
about it in His word, and then let's see if the Lord will reveal
to us, do I truly love Christ? How can I know if I love the
Lord Jesus Christ? Let's see if the Word of God
will reveal that to us. Now, before we get into what
it is to love Him, let's acknowledge this first, all right? Go with
me, if you would, over to John 5. If you're turning with me,
you can look at John chapter 5, and it says in verse 42, this
is the Lord Jesus Christ speaking, He said, I know you. And that's
what his word says to every sinner, I know you. He said that you
have not the love of God in you. I am come in my father's name,
but you receive me not. If another shall come in his
own name, him you will receive. If a man comes in his own name,
preaching his own message, declaring his own gospel, Another gospel,
he said, you'll receive him, but you won't receive me as I've
revealed myself in truth. True love for the Lord Jesus
Christ starts right here. True love gets honest. Do I love
the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you love the Lord Jesus Christ?
True love starts right here. It gets honest. It gets honest. I acknowledge the truth that
this flesh, I'm talking about my flesh, naturally does not
love Him. This sinful, wicked flesh, in
its natural condition, does not love Him. If you love somebody,
you'll tell the truth. You won't lie to them. You'll
tell the truth. And true love for Christ starts
with an acknowledgement of the truth. Naturally, this flesh
will not acknowledge the truth to him. But David said, a man
who was after God's own heart, this is what David said, I acknowledge
my transgressions. While so many people are saying,
oh no, I'm not a sinner. No, I'm not a sinner against
you. No, uh-uh. David said, I acknowledge my
transgressions. He said, my sin is ever before
me. Against thee, thee only, have
I sinned and done this evil in thy sight. I acknowledge the
truth. I tell you the truth. The apostle
Paul said, oh wretched man that I am. Oh, wretched man that I am. I
acknowledge what is right inside here, right inside this heart.
I acknowledge it. He said in verse 42, I know you
that you naturally have not the love of God in you. This is where
it all starts. The sinner cries, truth, Lord. He says, I know you. You have
not the love of God in you. The sinner's response who loves
Christ is, you're telling the truth. Truth, Lord. Truth, I hate to say it. I hate
to acknowledge it, but it's the truth. I know what I am in my
natural condition. Look with me over at Romans chapter
eight. It says in Romans 8 verse 7,
because the carnal mind is enmity against God. Enmity, that's a
strong word. For it is not subject to the
law of God, neither indeed can be. It's not subject to God's
law and it can't be. So then they that are in the
flesh cannot please God. Enmity means the enemy of. The natural mind is the enemy
of God. The carnal mind is the enemy
of God. It naturally hates God. It can't
please God. Now, if a person hears this and
says, as any person watches this program right now and hears me
saying these things and reading it out of God's word, if any
person says, now wait a minute, You're not speaking on my behalf.
You're not speaking for me. Don't you say that my flesh naturally
hates him. That's not true. That's just
not true. Whoever says that is saying you're
a liar. That's strong, isn't it? You
see, we're reading this directly from God. I'm not saying this,
God is saying this. The flesh is the natural enemy
of God. And whoever says, you're a liar,
what you're saying about me is not true, does not love Christ. When a sinner loves Christ, he
says, you're telling the truth. I acknowledge the truth. So whoever
tries to prove their love for Christ by saying, you're a liar,
what you're saying in your word is not true. It's obvious that soul doesn't
love him. No soul who loves Christ would call him a liar, no soul.
So it starts right here. True love starts right here,
it acknowledges the truth. And this is the truth, all right?
This is the truth. Look with me, if you would, at
1 John 4. 1 John 4, verse 19 says, we love
Him because He first loved us. That's the reason why. That's
the only reason why. If we love Him, It is only because
He first loved us. Romans 5 says, God commended
His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. Ephesians 2 says, we were children
of wrath even as others, but God who is rich in mercy for
His great love wherewith He loved us. Even when we were dead in
sins, He quickened us together with Christ. That's where our
love for Him begins. That's where it begins. It begins
with His love for us. Now, if God has given His love
to us and given us a love for the Lord Jesus Christ, if He
loved us first and produced a love in us for Christ, how will we
know it? How will we truly know it? How
can a sinner know if he or she truly loves the Lord Jesus Christ. What is it to love Christ? Well,
I'd like for us to see a few things in the scripture that
tell us what it is to love Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ. And my prayer is that he will
give us this love. I desire it for myself. I desire
it for you. And I pray that he'll cause us
to see what it is and put it in our hearts. Look with me over
at Matthew 22, this is the first thing. In Matthew 22, verse 35,
it says, then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question,
tempting him and saying, Master, which is the great commandment
in the law? Jesus said unto him, thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul
and with all thy mind. Now, if you're reading along
with me, you may notice in verse 37 that it says, thou shalt love
the Lord, capital L, lowercase o, lowercase r, lowercase d. That's the Lord Jesus Christ. To love Christ is to love Him
for who He is, the Lord our God. That's the first thing. It's
to love Him for who He is, the Lord our God. When most people think of this
man Jesus, they think of a perfect man. Was he a perfect man? Absolutely he was. They think
of a holy man. They think of a man who has a
place in heaven. There is a place for him in heaven
and he is honored in heaven. But they do not see him as he
is. Many people do not see him as
he is and they do not love him as he is. Who is he? He is the highest, Almighty God. He is the God. None higher. None higher. The name Lord means sovereign. That's what the name Lord means.
Sovereign. It means ruler. It means controller. And don't we love knowing who
he is? Doesn't it bring us such comfort and peace knowing who
He is? He is the one who is seated on
the throne. The Lord Jesus Christ is seated
on the throne. To truly love the Lord Jesus
Christ is to love the Lord our God. God. Thomas cried when he saw his
hands, he saw the prince in his hands, and this is what he said,
my Lord and my God, I have seen my God. Over in Revelation chapter
one, It says in Revelation 1 verse 8, this is the Lord Jesus Christ.
He said, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending,
saith the Lord, which is and which was and which is to come,
the Almighty. He said, that's who I am, the
Almighty. Revelation 19 verse 1. Says,
and after these things, I heard a great voice of much people
in heaven saying, hallelujah, salvation and glory and honor
and power unto the Lord. Speaking of Christ, the Lord,
our God. That's what heaven cries. The
Lord, our God. Revelation 22 verse five says, And there shall be no night there,
and they need no candle, neither light of the sun, for the Lord
God giveth them light, and they shall reign forever and ever. To love the Lord our God is to
love Him as He is. God, the Almighty God. All right, now look with me,
if you would, at John 21. John 21, verse 15. So when they had dined, Jesus
saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me
more than these? He saith unto him, yea, Lord,
thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, feed my lambs.
He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest
thou me? He said unto him, yea, Lord,
thou knowest that I love thee. He said unto him, feed my sheep.
He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou
me? Do you love me? To love the Lord
Jesus Christ is to love Him. Him. And that's so critical. Not just the things about Him. Not just the truths concerning
Him. Him. It's to love Him. That's the greatest revelation
of the gospel. The person. The man. Him. When a person sees the gospel
in truth and falls in love with the gospel, they fall in love
with a person. Him. Him. A man can be completely
enamored with his sovereignty. just in total awe of His sovereignty. A man can be in love with the
fact that he's able to send fire down from heaven if he wants
to and consume everything. A man can just be enamored with
that, set his affection on that, and completely miss Christ in
the process. Did you know that? A man can
be enamored with that and completely miss Christ. Love His sovereignty,
but not love Him. him. A man can love his true
and glorious doctrines. His doctrines are glorious. A man can be in love with the
doctrine of election. Thank God for election. Thank
God for election, for choosing people who would not choose him. Thank God for election. A man
can be in love with election and still not be in love with
him. This is important. This is important. Why do some
men cling to the doctrine of election and to some of these
other doctrines that are written in this word? And they'll say,
oh, absolutely. I believe in election. Absolutely. It's in there. You can read it
for yourself. I believe in election. And it is in there. But then
some men cling to that doctrine and never come out of a false
message. They never gather with God's
saints. They're content to sit there
and listen to a man lie on God, lie on Him. They're content to
hear a man not glorify Him as He is and not praise Him and
not honor Him. Sitting there still believing
in election. Why is that? It's because they don't have
a heart for Him. If they had a heart for him, they could not
stand to listen to a man dishonor who he is. Stand there saying,
now he's trying to save you. No, he doesn't try to do anything.
He's God. If he wants to save, he saves. He does whatever he pleases.
He's seated on the throne. Men stand up and preach him at
just a weak beggar. How can a man sit and listen
to that? Something not right here. Oh,
may God put it in here. May God put it in us. He did
not say, if any man love not the doctrine of election. He
didn't say that. He said, if any man loves not
him. Him, his glory, his honor. Peter said, whom having not seen,
you love. And God's people do. It's not
about heaven. God's people are not in love
with heaven, we're in love with Him. Some people are enamored
with golden streets and mansions and all these things. No, no,
it's Him. Wherever He is, that's heaven.
Our glory is Him. Our life is Him. Our salvation
is Him. Our union and our fellowship
is completely around Him. It is Him. To love the Lord Jesus
Christ is to love the Lord our God, and it's to love Him. It's to love the Lord, our God. All right, if you go with me
again to 1 John 4, 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. To love the Lord Jesus Christ
is to love His work. It's to love His work. It's to
love what He accomplished for us. It's to love complete and
total redemption in Him. That means it's to love the fact
that He finished the work. He completely finished the work. I don't know if I'll ever understand
why men and women don't love the fact that He finished all
the work in salvation. You tell them that, Christ accomplished
it all and there's nothing left for us to do, and the flesh gets
offended by it. They want to take part in it.
They want to help out. They want Him to take the first
step as long as they can take the second step and things like
that. But when God's people hear the fact that Christ paid it
all, He satisfied it all, He fulfilled it all, they fall in
love. They fall in love with that.
They love His work. They love what He has done. They
love the fact that it's finished. Because if it wasn't finished,
they know they wouldn't have any hope. If he did not finish
it totally, I wouldn't have any hope. There's a man named Charles
Spurgeon and I love what he said. He said, if I was at the very
threshold of heaven and the last step was dependent on me, I would
never make it in. That's what he said, if I was
right at the threshold of the gates of heaven, and it was just
left up to me to take that last step, he said, I'd never make
it in, never. Thank God, though, that last
step is not dependent on us. It's not dependent on me, it's
not dependent on you. He took the first step, he took
the last step, he took every step in between. To love the
Lord Jesus Christ is to love the salvation that He accomplished
all the way to the end, all the way. All right, right here in
1 John 4, verse 11 says, Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought
also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth
in us and His love is perfected in us. To love the Lord Jesus
Christ is to love Him for who He is, God. It's to love Him as He is. Christ is to love Him, Him. It's to love what He has done,
finished the work. And it's to love who He has done
it for. It's to love His people. Christ
in us is the hope of glory. God's people love God's people
because Christ is in them. Our Lord said, by this shall
all men know that you're my disciples if you have love one to another.
He said, if you do something for one of the least of these,
my brethren, you've done it for me. That's what he said. To truly
love Christ is to love each other. Love his people. Well, one more. Let's look at one more. 2 Timothy
chapter four. It says in 2 Timothy four, verse
Eight, henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that
day, and not to me only, but unto all them also that love
His appearing. Love His appearing. To love the
Lord Jesus Christ is to love Him for who He is. It's to love
Him for who He is. It's to love what He's done.
It's to love who He has done it for. And it's to love and
long for and crave His return. It's to be overtaken with a desire
to be with Him. God's people just want to be
with Him. They just want to be with Christ. They want to be
like Him, as He is. It's a groaning in the heart
that cries, come quickly, Lord. Come quickly. The Shulamite woman
in the Song of Solomon, she said, I'm sick with love. That's what
it is to love Christ. I just, I need Him. Oh, I need
Him. If any man love not the Lord
Jesus Christ, let him be cursed when the Lord returns. But if
any man or woman truly loves Christ, Oh, if we truly love
Christ, if God has done a work of grace in us and caused us,
if we do, He did it. But if He's caused us to love
the Lord Jesus Christ, Romans 8 says, nothing will be able
to separate us from that love. Nothing, nothing. Thank God for
that. 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 10.45 a.m. and 6 o'clock p.m.,
Wednesday evening at 7.30 p.m. Please tune in next week for
another message of God's free and sovereign grace.