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 to bring a message
to you today that I pray will be a blessing to your heart.
This message is going to come from Hebrews chapter 12, if you
would like to turn with me there, Hebrews chapter 12. And I want
to begin by reading two verses of scripture, verses 12 and 13. They say, wherefore lift up the
hands which hang down and the feeble knees and make straight
paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of
the way, but let it rather be healed. Isn't that encouraging? So encouraging. Just reading
those two verses of scripture will lift up hanging hands. If anyone's hands are hanging
down, that will strengthen our feeble knees. He said in verse
12, wherefore? Wherefore, because of everything
that has just been said up to that verse in chapter 12, he
said, be encouraged because of all these things, be encouraged. Now, what did he just say? Well,
if you look in verse one, he said, wherefore, because of everything
that was just said in chapter 11. Wherefore, seeing we also
are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, all of
those witnesses that chapter 11 mentioned, let us lay aside
every weight in the sin which does so easily beset us and let
us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking
unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. who for the joy
that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." He
said, let's finish the course of this life. We're going through
the course of this life. And he said, let's finish the
course of this life looking to who the Lord Jesus Christ is. looking to who he truly is. He is the author and the finisher
of our faith. He's the author and finisher
of our faith. He is the author and the finisher
of everything. And the reason is because he's
God. The Lord Jesus Christ is God, the author and the finisher
of all things. And everything that he authors
is for the good of his people and is for his glory. Everything
he authors and finishes is for his own glory and it's for the
good of his people. So the writer to the Hebrew said,
let's finish the course of this life looking to who he is. And let's finish the course,
looking to what he did, what he has done for his people. Verse two says, who for the joy
that was set before him, because he delighted in his people. He loved his people. He desired
for his people to be with him where he was for all eternity.
Because of that, verse two says he endured the cross because
of his love for them. He endured the cross. He authored
the remedy for sin. Through the cross. He finished
the remedy for sin on the cross. by hanging himself on the cross. Verse two goes on to say, despising
the shame, bearing all of that shame, all of the sinful, wicked
shame of his people and putting away that shame. So let's finish the course of
this life, looking to who he is, looking to what he has done
and looking to where he is right now. Let's finish this course,
looking to where he is right now. Verse two says he is set
down at the right hand of the throne of God. And Psalm 115
says, as he sits there, he does whatever he pleases, whatever
he pleases for his glory and for the good of his people. Does
that lift your hanging hands? Does that put some strength around
your feeble knees? It does mine. Verse three says
four, consider him that endured such contradiction of centers
against himself. Lest you be wearied and faint
in your minds. Anytime a true center feels weary. weary over his sin, weary that
he or she is not going to make it into God's eternal glory because
of his or her own sin. If that's you, if you're a sinner
who knows something of your own sin, then just consider, let's
think about everything that Christ endured to save sinners. If you know, I'm a sinner. He said, dwell on everything
Christ endured to save sinners. He did this for sinners. Verse
three, for consider him that endured such contradiction of
sinners against himself, lest you be wearied and faint in your
minds. You have not yet resisted unto
blood, striving against sin. That was his work. He did that. He endured that. That battle
was his. And as we finish running the
course of this life, let's remember verse five says, you've forgotten
the exhortation, which speaketh unto you as unto children. God speaks to his people as unto
children. My son, despise not thou the
chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him.
That conviction that comes through his word over our sin, we read
what he has to say to us. It convicts us over our sin.
And he said in verse six, for whom the Lord loveth, he chastens
by his word. and he scourgeth every son whom
he receiveth." God's people are so convicted over their sin.
Those who do not belong to the Lord God, they're never convicted
over sin. You ask them, are you a sinner?
Are you just really brought down over your sin? Oh, no, no, I'm
fine over that. I just wish I had more money,
or I just wish I had more friends, or I just wish I was happier
in life. But God's people are truly convicted over what they
are by nature and the sin that they've committed against their
God. And the word chastens the heart of God's people. But he
said in verse seven, if you endure chastening, God dealeth with
you as with sons. For what son is he whom the father
chasteneth not? If you feel that conviction through
the word, God is chastening the heart through the word. He said
he's dealing with you as a son, dealing with you as his own son.
He's teaching us, he's correcting us because he loves us. He loves
us. And what we consider to be trials,
what we consider to be chastisement, is actually him bringing us closer
to himself. That correction, that conviction
is him pulling us into himself, conforming us to his image, causing
us to see our need of him. So verse 12 says, wherefore lift
up the hands which hang down and the feeble knees. and make
straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned
out of the way, but let it rather be healed." Let it rather be
healed. Now verse 12 right there is quoting
Isaiah 35. That's a direct quote from Isaiah
35. And if you're turning with me,
if you have a Bible there, I'd like for you to turn with me
over to Isaiah 35 and let's see what the Lord has written there.
Because this whole chapter is one of the most encouraging,
uplifting chapters that I know of in the word. I love this chapter.
The exhortation to us is be encouraged, be encouraged. If you're a sinner
who God has convicted of his own sin or her own sin through
this word, and you see your need of Christ and be encouraged and
be comforted. And how are we comforted through
the same word that convicted us? The same word that cuts heals. and comfort us, comforts us.
David said, your word is a lamp unto my feet and it's a light
unto my path. Oh, I love your word. The Lord
said to Solomon, my son, attend to my words. Incline thine ear
unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine
eyes, keep them in the midst of thine heart, for they are
life unto those that find them and health to all their flesh. Now in Isaiah 35, actually, if
we look back at chapter 34, we see in verse 16, it says, seek
ye out of the book of the Lord and read. No one of these shall
fail. None shall want her mate for
my mouth it hath commanded and his spirit it hath gathered them. Set a straight course to this
book. That's what he said. You go to
the book of the Lord and read. Soak up every promise that's
in here. because not one of these promises
will fail. Every promise that God has made
to his people through the blood of Christ is going to stand all
the way down to the smallest detail. Every one of them. Jeremiah
six, verse 16 says, thus sayeth the Lord stand ye in the ways
and see and ask for the old paths wherein is the good way and walk
therein and you shall find rest for your souls. John wrote on
the Isle of Patmos, Blessed is he that readeth and they that
hear the words of this prophecy. That's a blessed man. That's
a blessed woman who reads and truly hears the word of the Lord's
prophecy. And here's why. If God ever opens
this word to us. If God ever opens our ears, if
he ever sends his spirit and blesses this word to our understanding. Isaiah chapter 35 verse one says
the wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them. Glad for these words and the
desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. Once centers see
the glory of the Lord, the glory of what God has done. Once God
reveals to the heart of a sinner, and I want to emphasize the heart
of a sinner, not the mind. Once God reveals to the heart
of a center, the excellency of who he is and the excellency
of what he has done, not what he's tried to do or not what
he plans to do. If you will help him with these
plans, what he has done and the excellency of where he is right
now. Once God reveals that to the
heart, the wilderness, which is the center. The desert, which
is us, the centers, the place where nothing is. All of a sudden,
he said, it starts rejoicing and it starts blossoming as a
rose. So God's commandment to the preacher is start preaching
my word to my people. Lord, I don't know who your people
are. That's OK. Just preach it. Just sow the
seed of the word. Start preaching the glory of
the Lord and I'll apply it to the hearts as I see fit. And when God does that, this
is what will happen. And I want us to enter into how
he describes these people. He, the word goes out to his
people. He blesses it to their heart and listen to who they
are. Listen to how he describes the
ones that he has purposed to comfort. Here's his people. Okay. He describes them as. weak. This is, he said, this is who
it's going to go to. This is who I endured the cross
for. These are my people, the weak, the feeble, the fearful,
the blind, the deaf, the lame, the dumb mute, the parched, the
thirsty, The wayfaring fools, the redeemed and the ransomed. He said, that's who my people
are. That's who it's going to. And I pray he's talking about
us. I believe that describes me. I believe all those things
describe me and I pray they describe you. Now let's read what he has
to say to him. Verse three, he said, strengthen
ye the weak hands. Strengthen the weak hands, hands
that spiritually cannot do. Hands that are spiritually weak,
so much so that they cannot work. Preachers stand up in pulpits
and they tell, now you better go to work. You better go to
work for God. You're going to have to do the work now. This
thing is up to you. God has no hands, but your hands. That's not so. If a man is telling
you that, he's lying to you. All of our hands are weak hands. And God said, I want you to preach
to those who have weak hands. And he went on to say, I want
you to confirm the feeble knees. Those who spiritually can't stand. Cannot stand before God. Those
who say. In my hand, no price I bring
and I'm not worthy to stand in your presence. He said, that's
who I want you to preach to. Psalm 24 says who shall ascend
into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy
place? He that hath clean hands, and
I mean clean hands, not clean in the eyes of a sinner, clean
in the eyes of God, who looks on the deeds, looks on the mind,
looks on the heart, which is none of us. I'll go ahead and
tell you that's none of us. He that hath clean hands and
a pure heart. I mean, pure, that's not me and
you. One who hath not lifted up his
soul unto vanity, the pride of life and self, nor sworn deceitfully. That's not us. That's not me. I cannot stand in his presence
if that's what he demands. Verse four says, say unto them
that are of a fearful heart, weak, feeble, fearful. fearful over their own sin that
they've committed before God. He said, you say to them in verse
four, be strong. Be strong. Where is our strength?
It's not in ourselves. It's in the Lord. He is our strength. Be strong. Fear not. Behold, your God will come with
vengeance. Even God with a recompense, he
will come and save you. Is that not encouraging? Is that
not wonderful? He will come and save you. We're a fearful people, aren't
we? We are a fearful people. I love how when John saw the
Lord on the Isle of Patmos in Revelation, It says he fell down
at his feet as dead, fearful. And the Lord laid his right hand
on him saying, fear not. I am he that liveth and was dead. And behold, I am alive forevermore. What he was saying is I died
in your place, bearing your punishment, bearing your sin. And I have
risen proving that I put it away and there's nothing more to fear.
Fear not. God said, you tell my weak. feeble,
fearful people, that I'm coming to save them. All that the Father
hath given me, every soul the Father chose and put in me, I've
come to save them. I'm coming back with a vengeance.
I'm coming back to pull every single one of them out, all of
my people out. Verse five says, then the eyes
of the blind shall be opened. As soon as this declaration comes,
the message of the gospel, as soon as the truth is preached
to my people, then the eyes of those people become opened and
they don't see religion anymore and they don't see their own
works anymore and they don't see their own pride anymore.
They see Christ. They see Christ. They see their
deliverer. They see their shepherd, their
true shepherd, the one who's keeping them, feeding them. It's
not what I'm going to do for him. It's what he has done for
me and is going to do for me the rest of my days. Verse five
goes on to say in the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. They're going to hear his voice
through the gospel. They hear the voice of the Lord
and to their shock, instead of hearing him say, depart from
me, I never knew you. They're going to hear him say,
come unto me. Are you a sinner? Salvation is
for sinners. If the answer is no, I'm not
a sinner. Salvation is not for me and you then. But if we can
honestly say, oh dear Lord, I'm a sinner before you. I acknowledge
my transgressions. My sin is ever before me. To
that soul, the shepherd says, come to me. The savior says,
come unto me. My beloved, my spouse. Inherit
the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Verse six says, then shall the lame man leap as a heart. When
a sinner sees Christ, when he sees Christ to be all of his
hope of salvation, once a sinner finally realizes it's done, you
mean I don't have to do anything? There's nothing left for me to
do to accomplish my salvation? I don't have to try to live in
a way that I know I can't live because Christ lived it for me?
Christ earned that perfection for me and gave it to me? And
I stand before God in the perfection of Christ? Once a sinner sees
that and realizes that the chains of all that bondage fall off,
men and women are in such bondage, such religious bondage, trying
to be something that they'll never be. But once they see Christ,
the chains of bondage fall off, the weight of sin is lifted because
Christ took it from him, laid it on himself. Verse six says,
and the tongue of the dumb mute is going to start to sing. You
may know that song. It says in loving kindness, the
Lord Jesus came my soul in mercy to reclaim. And from the depths
of sin and shame through grace, he lifted me from sinking sand. He lifted me with tender hand. He lifted me from shades of night
to planes of light. Oh, praise his name. He lifted
me. That's the new song. Every soul
in glory sings a brand new song. What he has done for me. What he's done for me before
that, it's it's always. What I've done for him. But that
new song cries, this is what he has done for me. Verse six
goes on to say, for in the wilderness. In the wilderness, that's you
and me in the wilderness. Then shall the lame man leap
as a heart, the tongue of the dumb shall sing, for in the wilderness
shall waters break out and streams in the desert. Ho, everyone that thirsteth,
come ye to the living water. Come running to the living water,
which is Christ. Christ, you know, David said,
my cup runneth over. It will every time it will every
time these living waters. Verse seven says in the parched
ground shall become a pool and the thirsty land springs of water
in the habitation of dragons where each lay. And you can imagine
where a dragon has been laying. That's just a that's just a dead,
muddy, ruined spot. Nothing there. But he said, life
is going to come to that place. That, that describes me and you
just a dead, muddy ruin spot. But the Lord said, life is coming
to that place and there's going to be grass and reeds and rushes. It's going to spring up. Verse eight says, and, and highway
shall be there. I love this. I love how he didn't
say a trail shall be there. He didn't say a little dirt path.
If you look real hard, you're going to see a little dirt path.
He said it's a highway. It's not even just a road. It's
a highway. It's a freeway. Free to all. who are put on it by God Almighty. Verse eight says, and it shall
be called the way of holiness. You might notice that the word
the is capitalized, the way of holiness. That means call it
Christ, call the highway, Christ, the way of holiness, the only
way of salvation. Verse eight says the unclean
shall not pass over it. But it shall be for those, the
wayfaring men, the pilgrims, the strangers, those who are
seeking God, seeking a better country. And he said in verse
eight, the wayfaring men, though fools, me and you, fools, though
fools shall not err therein. Err does not mean enter, err
means error. They're not going to error. They're
in these strangers that I've selected to be my people, even
though by nature, they're fools, just sinful fools. I'm going
to put them in the highway, which is Christ. And I'm going to bring
them all the way to my city. And once they're in, they're
never going to sin ever again. Never. The wayfaring men, though
fools shall not err. They're in, they're going to
be new creation. And he said in verse 9, No lion shall be
there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon. It shall
not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk therein. Only those
redeemed in the blood verse 10 and the ransomed of the Lord
shall return and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy
upon their heads. And they shall obtain joy and
gladness and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Does that not
lift your hands and strengthen your weak knees? Does that not encourage you dear
center? I'm, I'm preaching to centers
this morning. Whoever is watching this right
now and believes in their heart, I'm a sinner before God. That's
who I'm speaking to. And I'm speaking mainly to this
sinner right here. I'm a sinner before God. I'm
a sinner who can do nothing with my hands. I have no strength
in my knees to stand before God. But God said, that's who I'm
speaking to. That's who I'm calling to myself.
That's who my work is for. If that's you, then be encouraged. 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.