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 turn with
me in your Bibles, I'm going to be speaking today from 2 Corinthians
chapter 13. Second Corinthians 13 and the
subject that we're going to look at this morning is a very, very
simple, but necessary subject. It's a question that we all need
to ask. It's a question that every soul
I believe would love to know the answer to. And I pray that
the Lord may speak the answer to your heart and to my heart.
The title of this message is the question, am I a true believer? Am I a true believer? Do I belong to the Lord? Am I one of his? Did he choose
me? Did he put true faith in me? Do I truly call on Him? Do I truly cry out to Him? Am I a true believer? Not just
someone who believes that He exists, someone who has cast
all of his hope on the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ. Is all of my trust and hope before
God? in and on the person of the Lord
Jesus Christ, His work, His death, His blood. Am I a true believer? I want to know the answer to
that right now. I do not want to wait until the
day of judgment to find out whether or not I truly belong to Him.
I would love for the Lord to settle my heart today. On this question, am I a true
believer? If you want to look with me at
2 Corinthians 13 verse 5 says, examine yourselves whether you
be in the faith. Examine yourselves whether you
be in the faith. Solomon, King Solomon, the man
that God gave more wisdom to than any other man on this earth.
Solomon said, out of the heart are the issues of life, out of
the heart. are the issues of life. If we
want to find the true answers to these issues of life concerning
me, we're going to have to look on the heart. We're going to
have to look into the heart. The things that pertain to our
salvation, these are heart things. Now our mind understands what
our heart believes. But if all we do is stop at the
mind, we have a problem. The things that concern eternity
need to be looked at and dealt with and believed on in the heart. The heart. A true believer's
faith is in the heart. His love is heart love. He doesn't just know he needs
to love God, he loves God. The true and living God. His
love for God, his love for God's people. It's heart love. When God moves on the heart,
when God moves on the center, it's an effectual work. It's
a work on the heart. This is what he said. He said,
I will take out that heart of stone. That's the heart that
we're born with. The heart where we enter this
world with is a hard heart of sinful stone. And it needs to
be broken. It needs to be crushed. And God
is the only one who can do it. We cannot take out our own heart.
We can't break our own heart. We come forth dead in trespasses
and sins. We cannot do anything for ourselves.
God must do it. But if God does it, if He performs
that work, He said, I'm going to take out that heart of stone
and I'm going to put in a heart of flesh. That's the heart of
Christ. That's that living heart. Christ
in us. So I'd like for us to take just
a moment this morning and enter into the mind, enter into our
minds. And with our minds, I would like
for us to see whether or not we believe God has moved on our
heart. I want us to think on some of
these things and consider some of these things and really, really
dwell on it and see whether or not we believe God has moved
on our heart. I pray he has. I pray he's moved
on mine. Verse 5 says, 2 Corinthians 13
verse 5 says, examine yourselves whether you be in the faith,
prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves,
how that Jesus Christ is in you, except you be reprobates. He said, prove it to yourself,
examine your heart and prove it to yourselves. He said, do
you know whether or not Christ is in you or whether or not you
are a reprobate? Reprobate means counterfeit. That's what the word reprobate
means. counterfeit. May God make this real. May God
truly make this real to us right now. May He help us to examine
ourselves to know whether or not we are truly in the faith. Lord, prove it to our hearts
right now. One way or the other, are we
truly in the faith? Is Christ in us? Is Christ living
in us? Does He live in me and does He
live in you? Or are we counterfeits? Are we
reprobate? Now he said, examine yourselves. That's the commandment here.
Examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith, let's not examine
anyone else. We're going to. Have a self exam. And as we look at these things,
examine your own self, examine your own heart. Don't think about
anyone else. Don't think, well, he or she
needs to examine himself or herself. I need to examine myself and
you need to examine yourself. This exam is for each one of
us individually. When Christ died for his people,
he died for them individually. He died for them individually.
He had each soul that he was paying the sin debt for on his
mind and heart individually. He hung there as that person
individually. Every soul must go stand before
God individually. one-on-one. Right now, I need
to know individually, is Christ in me? Are my worst fears true? I'm a counterfeit. Well, the
man that God used to pen this, all of the scripture is written
by the inspiration of God's Holy Spirit. God wrote every word
in the Bible. All of these different men who
penned these things, They were moved by the Holy Spirit of God. This is God's word. But the apostle
that God used to hold the pen and write, his name was Paul. The apostle Paul wrote this and
God saved him. God saved the apostle Paul. God brought the hope of glory
to him. God dwelled in him. God was with him. And he said in verse 6, if you
look at 2 Corinthians 13 verse 6, but I trust that you shall
know that we are not reprobates. He said, I trust God will reveal
that to you and put that faith in your heart that we are not
reprobates. Christ was in him and Christ
was in the other apostles. They had the spirit of God. And
he said in first Timothy that he was a pattern to them, which
should hereafter believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to life everlasting. He said, my salvation and what
I see in myself, he said, it's a pattern. His self-examination. We have in this Word His own
self-examination. We have in here what He thought
of Himself and felt concerning Himself. And He said, My self-examination
is the pattern for your self-examination. So this is how we're going to
look and examine ourselves. We're going to see His self-examination. And what he has to say about
himself, knowing Christ is in him. And based on that, we're
going to find out whether or not Christ is in us, Christ in
me. So if you see the same things
that Paul, if you see the same things in you that Paul saw in
him, Christ is in you. Now he asked this question right
here in verse five. He said, no, ye, not your own
selves. How that Jesus Christ is in you. Do you know, do you know, how
can we know there are three times in the scripture concerning his
own self that Paul said, I know. Alright, he looked within himself
and he saw what God had taught him and there are three times
when he said, I know, I know. We're going to look at those
three times and then we're going to honestly ask ourselves in
the heart, do we see the same thing and can we say the same
thing with Paul? Can we? The first one is in Romans
7. If you'd like to turn with me
to Romans chapter 7. He said in verse 18, for I know
he was convinced. He said, I know I've performed
a self-examination and I know that in me, that is in my flesh,
he said, as I stand here on this earth in the flesh, I know that
in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing. No good thing. He said, I know that. I know
that. Look back up at verse 15. He
said, for that which I do, I allow not. I know not. I don't know
why I do what I do. Can you say the same thing? Why
on this earth do I do the things that I do? He said, for what
I would, meaning the things that are in agreement with the scripture
and the things that are in agreement with God, things that are pleasing,
forgiveness in the heart and all those things, what I would,
he said, that do I not. But what I hate, all that sin
I see within myself, all of that, everything that's contrary to
the scripture, He said, that's what I do, that do I. Verse 16,
he said, if then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the
law that it's good. I acknowledge God's law is so
good. Now then it is no more I that
do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I am the captive of sin. That's what Paul said. For I
know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. For to will is present with me. Oh, I wish I could do good. But
how to perform that which is good I find not. He said, I've
yet to find out how to make this sinful flesh perform good. Men and women go around thinking
that they're so good and they perform good deeds and I'm a
good person and good, good, good. That's not what the apostle Paul
said. That's not what he said at all. Not after his own self-examination. He said in verse 19, for the
good that I would, I do not. but the evil which I would not."
The evil I wish I didn't do. Oh, he said, this wicked mind,
this wicked heart, the thoughts that go through this mind, the
feelings that are in this heart. He said, 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 find then a law that when I
would do good, evil is present with me." He's saying everything
that I ought to do with good in it, it's just drowning with
sin. One man said, and this is so
true, after his own self-examination, he said, I cannot pray, but I
sin. Everything I do is filled with
sin. Verse 22, Paul said, for I delight in the law of God after
the inward man, that spirit, that new heart that God puts
in a sinner. He said, I delight in the law.
But verse 23, 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. This is what he said after his
own self examination. Oh, wretched man that I am. What do you say after your own
self examination? I admit to you. After my own
self-examination, I say, oh, wretched man that I am. The apostle
Paul said, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
He said, I'm so ready to be rid of this body of sin. I am so
ready to be done with sin. He said, I know, I know that
in me, that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. Now we're going
to look at three things that the Apostle Paul said, I know.
But there are four things. One man described false faith. He described counterfeit faith. Somebody who is not a true believer
on Christ by four things. And I'm going to give those to
you as we go through what Paul said. But the first one is this. He said a false faith. A counterfeit
faith is never broken over its own sin. We can clearly see by
just listening to the Apostle Paul, that man was broken over
his own sin. Broken. A false faith is never
broken over its own sin. Never. Never cries, I'm a sinner. Why am I this way? When Christ
is not in a person, that person never cries, O wretched man that
I am. Never. Well, someone could say,
Paul, don't you mean was? Don't you mean, O wretched man
that I was? This is what he said in 1 Timothy
1 verse 15. He said, Christ came to save
sinners and I am chief. I am chief. You may hear a lot
of people say, oh, I used to be a sinner. After your own self-examination,
can you honestly say you used to be a sinner or do you have
to say, I am a sinner? After you honestly go into your
mind and go into your heart, Oh, Paul cried, I am a sinner.
I say the same thing. Oh, he's Paul said in another
place, I'm not worthy to be called an apostle. Not worthy to be
called an apostle counterfeit faith. It may know something
of sin. It may know a little bit of the
sin of man and the sin of this world. It may see a little bit
of the sin of this world, but it has never known the experience
of being utterly shattered over its own sin. Crying, me, it's
me. Oh, it's me. King David was not
a counterfeit. King David was not a counterfeit
and he cried, my sins are ever before me. My sins are always
in the front of my mind. Always. When I look inside and
examine myself, if I do not see the worst sinner on this earth,
I'm failing the exam. If I do not see you completely
from the crown of my head to the sole of my foot, wretched
sinner, I'm a counterfeit. I'm a hypocrite. Do you know
that the word hypocrite in the scripture is never associated
with a person who admits they are a sinner? Never. Only with
those who say they're self-righteous only
with those who portray themselves to be right before God when there
is none righteous. None righteous. All have sinned
and come short of the glory of God. So a false faith is never
broken over its own sin. The second thing that describes
a false or a counterfeit faith is It never hungers and thirsts
for the blood and the righteousness of Christ. It never is craving
the blood and the righteousness of Christ. If you look with me
at Psalm 51, this is where David cried, what we just quoted. He
said, I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is ever before me. He said in verse 4, Against thee,
thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight,
that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear
when thou judgest. But he said in verse 7, Purge
me with hyssop. If you will purge me with hyssop. Hyssop was what they dipped in
the blood when the high priest went in to make the sacrifice
for sin, the sacrifice of atonement. He went into the Holy of Holies
and he had blood, never went in without blood. And no sinner
can stand before God without the blood of Christ. And representing
that, the high priest went in with hyssop and he dipped it
in the blood and he sprinkled it on the mercy seat. And David
said, if you purge me with hyssop. And he said, if you wash me,
I'll be clean, I'll be whiter than snow. Wash me in your blood. Wash me in the blood of God's
Lamb and I'll be whiter than snow. He said in verse 1, have
mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness, according
to the multitude of Thy tender mercies. Blot out my transgression. This is my cry. I need your blood. He said, wash me throughly from
my iniquity and cleanse me from my sins. That was his great need
before God. Not a pat on the back. While
most people, when they go meet God, they're looking for a pat
on the back. That's what they expect, a pat on the back. Not
David. He said, I need mercy. Oh, I
need mercy. Mercy in the blood of the Lamb.
When we look inside and examine ourselves, do we honestly, honestly
say, I must have the blood of Christ. If I don't have His blood,
I have no hope. Based on the life I've lived
and based on what I see that I am, if I don't have His blood,
I'm going to die in my sin. Do we honestly say, Oh, wretched
man that I am. If He doesn't cover me, I'm going
to die right here in my sin. A counterfeit does not see that.
He does not see that. When he looks inside, he says,
I really don't see that bad of a person. I think I'm ready to
stand before God. I like what I see. That's a counterfeit. That's a reprobate. But if we
cry the same thing that Paul cried, if we cry the same thing
that David cried, then we're starting to have a hopeful exam.
Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 4, if you'd like to look with
me at 1 Corinthians 4 verse 4, he said, For I know nothing by
myself. The by translates of, he said,
I know nothing of myself. I know nothing. I know nothing. In 2 Corinthians 12, he said,
I be nothing. I know nothing. I am nothing. A counterfeit faith, a false
faith, never believes itself to be nothing. It has never seen
its total inability. Counterfeit faith believes somehow
I took part in my own salvation. Somehow I was able. Somehow I had some role that
I had to play. But when Christ dwells in the
heart of a sinner, that sinner knows he by himself purged my
sins. That's the only way they could
be purged. That is the only way. I did not
help in any way, shape or form. I could not help. in any way,
shape, or form. I'm nothing but a sinner, saved
by grace. Salvation is totally of the Lord. I'm a wretched sinner in need
of a Savior because I cannot do anything for myself. Now here's
the third thing Paul said he knew. In 2 Timothy 1, verse 12,
he said, For the witch calls, I also suffer these things. Nevertheless,
I'm not ashamed for I know whom I have believed. I know that
in my flesh dwells no good thing. I know nothing of myself, but
I know whom I have believed. And he said, I'm persuaded that
he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against
that day. Here are all four of the statements
that describe a false faith. A false faith is never broken
over its own sin. A false faith never hungers and
thirsts for the blood and righteousness of Christ. A false faith never
sees its own total inability. And false faith never bows to
the absolute sovereignty and lordship and ability of Christ
alone. True faith cries, He accomplished
everything He set out to accomplish. True faith cries, it is finished. He was able and he finished it. True faith cries, my salvation
is not a what, it's a whom. It is a whom, I know who saved
me. When you look within and examine
yourselves, do you say the same thing Paul says? Do you cry the
same thing Paul cries? I am nothing, Christ is all. If that's the case, God has put
true faith in you. You are not a counterfeit. I'm
not a counterfeit. And we thank God for salvation
by believing on the blood of Christ. 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.