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 am going to be speaking from
Ephesians chapter 2. And I have a message today for
anybody who is just like me, a real true sinner. And that's the title, a message
for real sinners, real sinners. I think about that sometimes.
And after I have a minute for my mind to acknowledge that it
is so. Sometimes I'm able to enter down
into my heart and realize just how true it really is. I really
am a sinner, and I hate to admit that. I truly do, but it's just
so. But do you know who God's goodness
is to? Do you know who God's gospel
is for? Do you know Who the good news
applies to? Sinners. Sinners. Real sinners. Not people who
used to be sinners. That's not who the good news
is to. And there are many people in
the world who believe they used to be sinners, but that's not
who the good news is to. It's to people who are sinners. True sinners. God's Spirit, through
his gospel message, is seeking and calling out sinners, current
sinners. That's who his peculiar people
are. He has a peculiar people in their centers. Now, in Ephesians
2, verse 1, you'll notice if your Bible has italicized words,
and if you're looking at it with me here, you'll notice that the
words hath he quickened, they're in italics. And what that means
is when the translators were translating this into English,
they added those words so it would make sense to us. And that's
a good addition. The translators did a wonderful
job. But let's read this without those three words as it was originally
written. It says in verse one, and you
who were dead in trespasses and sins. You who were dead in trespasses
and sins. That's who he's writing to. Sinners
who were dead in trespasses and sins. Now, what does that mean?
in trespasses and sins. It means totally, physically,
spiritually separated from God who is life. Totally separated
from the one who is life. Complete separation. Look at
verse 12 right here in Ephesians 2. It says that at that time
you were without Christ being aliens from the commonwealth
of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise having
no hope and without God in the world. That's what spiritually
dead is. Not welcome in his presence.
Not at all. A trespasser. a stranger, one
that he will not know. It's a soul who has no hope because
of his own sin, no hope at all, and is going to be left in the
world without God when he sends down his fiery destruction. God
is going to destroy this world and If a sinner's left in it,
when that fiery destruction comes, he's going to be burned up with
this world. He's going to be destroyed eternally with this
world. Well, that's how we all are by nature. That's how we
began in this world. That's where he finds every single
one of his people. That's who he's talking to. Verse
one, again, it says, and you who were dead in trespasses and
sins. That's who he's talking to. Verse
two says, wherein in time past, that means all of your life and
all of my life, all of our life. It goes on to say, we walked
according to the course of this world. We walked according to
the way of this world, dead to God. dead to everything that
was good and right and pure and honest, everything that he is,
but alive to sin, walked in it, alive to everything that's evil
and wicked and wretched, alive to the control of the adversary,
the great adversary of God's people. Verse two says, wherein
in time past you walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air." That's the
adversary. He said, I'm talking to those
who were thrilled to be in his captivity, loved being in his
captivity, loved being his servants, loved sin. And that's what this
flesh loves. It loves sin. It lives on sin. It thrives on sin. It thrives
on pride. It thrives on glorifying the
flesh and everything that's contrary to God. Verse 2 says, wherein
in time past you walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit
that now worketh in the children of disobedience, among whom also
we all had our conversation in times past, in the lust of our
flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind,
and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others." That
means this describes every single person without exception. That
means this describes me. In the flesh it describes me,
it describes you. Every person without exception.
Every person on this earth. has spent an entire lifetime
fulfilling the lusts and the desires of his or her own flesh,
gratifying the flesh, and is a child of wrath against the
God who made us. We're all children of wrath,
enmity against God. Now, I don't want to be. I wish I was not. My flesh does. But when God goes to work on
a heart, He changes that heart. He creates a new man. He creates
a new creature. And that new creature does not
want to be. And I trust and hope you don't
want to be. But we can't help it in the flesh. We are what
we are. We are, verse three says, it's our nature. It's what we
are. I can stop doing what I'm doing. Most people, when they
go to a church building and they sit down in a pew and a man stands
up and preaches, he tells people, many, many preachers tell people,
you need to stop what you're doing. And I'm sure that's a
good idea. We probably all need to stop what we're doing. And
we can do that. I can stop what I'm doing, but
here's my problem. I cannot stop being what I am. I can stop doing what I'm doing,
but I can't stop being what I am. That's the great problem with
sin. Sin is what we are. What we do
is just the evidence, the outward evidence of what we are. The problem for every single
man and woman is not what they've done. That's not the problem. It's not what you've done, and
it's not what I've done. It's what we are. Sinners. Turn with me over to Isaiah 64.
In Isaiah chapter 64, it says in verse 6, but we are all as
an unclean thing, all of us, as an unclean thing, and all
our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. And we all do fade as a
leaf, and our iniquities like the wind have taken us away. He said that's what we are. That's
what we are. Just like a leper had to cry. Just like that leper had to cry
unclean. That's what we are. Unclean. All of these wounds and all these
bruises and all of these sores, rotting flesh. That's all we
are. Everything that we think we're doing right before God,
all of our righteousnesses, everything that we believe is good and acceptable
to God right in His eyes is actually wrong in His eyes. And the reason
is because it's all filled with pride. It's all filled with self. It's all filled with our ability
looking to us and not looking to Christ. Not trusting in His
work and not trusting in who He is and His righteousness.
Anytime that a sinner is not looking to Christ, God is not
well pleased. Not pleased at all. So it's not
just wrong in God's eyes, it's a filthy rag. All of our righteousnesses
are filthy rags. And we're dying. We can see it
in our bodies. We can see it on our faces. We
can see the wrinkles and the spots We can't do what we used
to be able to do. We're fading as a leaf. And our sin has cast us out. It's taken us away. And there's
nothing that we can do about it. There's nothing we can do
about it. This is what we are and there's nothing we can do
about it. It's what we are. All of us. You know, there's
no room for pride in any of us. None of us. There is none righteous,
no not one. Man at his best state is altogether
vanity, empty, worthless. No room for pride. There's nothing
we can do about it. There's nothing we can do. Jeremiah
said, can the Ethiopian change his skin? Or can the leopard
change his spots? Can that big cat that has had
that coat and those spots on it. Can he change his spots?
Well, I don't like where this spot is. I'm going to move that
spot. No. Neither can we change ourselves. We can't do it. In our own flesh,
we're a hopeless condition. Hopeless. Now, go back with me
to Ephesians 2 if you're looking at it with me, because this is
the only remedy for this sin that we have. Ephesians 2 verse
4 says, But God. But God. That's salvation in
two words. What is salvation? Here's two
words. But God. But God. In spite of us. But God. Who
is rich in mercy. There is one thing that I need
and there is one thing that you need. Mercy. That's what we need. Mercy. There was a man years
ago who his son had gotten into trouble, and he was about to
be sentenced to prison. They were in the courtroom, and
this man came to see the outcome of his son's trial, and the judge
was sentencing him to prison, and the man asked if he could
speak to the judge, and the judge allowed him to, and he said,
Your Honor, is there any room for mercy? And the judge said,
based on what your son has done, he does not deserve mercy. And
he said, that is so true, your honor. But he said, if he deserved
it, it wouldn't be mercy. Mercy is for the undeserving. Mercy is for the one who does
not deserve it. And verse four says, but God
who is rich in mercy. Rich, you know what rich means?
It means plenty, plenty of mercy. Abounding in, overflowing with. That's what mercy means. That's
what rich means. Overflowing with mercy. Your honor. That's what a sinner
cries to God. Your honor. Is there any room
for mercy? Do you want to hear some good
news? He has infinitely more mercy than we have sinned. He has infinitely more mercy
than we have sinned. Verse four says, but God who
is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us. Rich in mercy, rich in love. He said it's great love. It's
great because it was an eternal love. Before the foundation of
the world love. He said, before I ever even formed
you in the belly, I loved you. I knew you. I loved you from
eternity to eternity. Everlasting love. It's great
because it's sovereign love. Hail sovereign love that first
began the scheme to rescue fallen man. Sovereign love. He gives it to whom he will in
spite of the sinner. He bestows it on whom he will.
You know, the scripture says that God loved Jacob and hated
Esau. He said, Jacob have I loved,
Esau have I hated. Neither Jacob nor Esau, either
one of them deserved his love. Neither one of them. But God
said, in spite of Jacob, I'm going to give it to him. The
hard thing to understand about that is not that he would hate
Esau, it's that he would love Jacob. In spite of who He is,
I'm going to give it to Him. Look with me at Ezekiel 16, Ezekiel
chapter 16. It says in Ezekiel 16 verse 1,
Again, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man,
cause Jerusalem to know her abominations. You tell her, tell my people
about their sin. And say, Thus saith the Lord
God unto Jerusalem, Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land
of Canaan. Thy father was an Amorite, and
thy mother a Hittite. As for thy nativity, in the day
that thou was born, thy navel was not cut, neither was thou
washed in water to supple thee. Thou wast not salted at all,
nor swaddled at all. None eye pitied thee to do any
of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee, but thou wast cast
out in the open field to the loathing of thy person in the
day that thou wast born." Cast out in your own sin, in your
own loathing. No eye pitied you, but one. Verse 8 says, Now when I passed
by thee and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was a time of
love. He said, I loved you, I chose
you. And he said in verse 8, I spread my skirt over thee and
covered thy nakedness. Yea, I swear unto thee and entered
into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest
mine. I chose you and I made you mine. Then washed I thee with water,
yea, I thoroughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed
thee with oil. I cleansed you. I clothed thee
also with broided work, and shod thee with badger skin. I put
a new robe on you, and gave you the gospel. Shod your feet with
the gospel. I girded thee about with fine
linen, and covered thee with silk. I decked thee also with
ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain upon
thy neck. And I put a jewel on thy forehead,
and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thy head.
Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver, and thy raiment was
of fine linen and silk, embroidered work. Thou didst eat fine flour
and honey and oil, and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou
didst prosper into a kingdom. And thy renown went forth among
the heathen for thy beauty, for it was perfect through my comeliness. Your beauty was perfect through
me. which I had put upon thee, saith
the Lord God." That's the story of every saved sinner. Every saved sinner. All through
this word. Harlots. Harlots. Murderers. Thieves, that's the
story of every saved sinner. But God, who is rich in mercy,
for his great love, wherewith he loved me. This is my story,
this is my song. And every saved sinner, Christ,
this is my story. But God, who is rich in mercy,
for his great love, wherewith he loved me. He loved us. That's the testimony of a child
of God, not what I did for God. Well, I did this and I did that
and I decided it's what God did for me. His love for me, not
my love for him, not it's not that I loved him and chose him.
He loved me and chose me. I love him only because he first
loved me. And here's something else about
his love that makes it great love. It's unchangeable. He said,
I am the Lord, I change not. My love that I chose to put on
you, bestow on you before you were ever even born, that'll
never change. That's why you sons of Jacob are not consumed.
I change not. He loved us in our worst. He loved us in our worst. Most
people believe that in order for God to love me, I've got
to become lovable to Him. I've got to present my best.
He loved us in our worst. That's when He loved His people.
He loved us while we were at the bottom, even when we were
dead in sin. Now, here's the question. How
can a holy and righteous and just God do that? How can a God who hates sin. Sin is our problem. Sin is what
we are. That's all we are. How can a
righteous God who hates sin love us? How is that possible? Well, look back at Ephesians
2 with me. It says in Ephesians 2 verse 4, but God who is rich
in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were
dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. He made us and He made His own
Son to be one. He united us. Look again at verse
12. It says that at that time you
were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel.
and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and
without God in the world, but now in Christ Jesus, you who
sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ."
You're made nigh by the blood of Christ. He united us with
the blood of His Son. This was the only way it was
possible. He united us with Him. when His blood was shed on the
cross of Calvary. He united us with that blood
that was shed, the blood that was shed on the cross. It was
shed because He united us with Him. It had to be shed. God the Father took the actual
sin that we committed. I mean the sins that you and
I commit right now. He took the sins of all of His
people, all He chose to save, and He laid all of those sins
on His Son. And when He looked at all of
that sin, He hated it. God hates sin. He hated what
He saw. He loathed it. He was angry with
it. And He poured out the punishment
of His wrath on it, on that sin, even though it was on His own
Son. He poured out all of His wrath
on it, even though it was on His own Son. And He didn't pour
out His wrath just on the sin itself. He poured it out on the
sinners. He gave us exactly what we deserved. He killed us in
Christ His Son. And verse 13 says, Now in Christ
Jesus you 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. Now he's broken down that wall
of separation. 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, making
absolute peace. When Christ took our sin, he
gave us all of his righteousness. God the Father took the actual
righteousness God took the actual sin that we commit all of our
life and laid it on His Son. And God took the actual righteousness
that He committed all of His life on this earth, all of His
perfection, good and right. And He took all of that righteousness
and laid it on His people, covered them in it. And when He looked
at all of that righteousness, He loved it. He loved what he
saw. He adored it. He was well pleased
with it. And he poured out all the blessings
of heaven on it. Even though it was on us. Even
though it was on us. And now the end of verse 5 says,
if you look at Ephesians 2, the end of verse 5, it says, by grace
you are saved. By grace. I love how matter-of-fact
that is. You are saved. And we can't do
anything about it. We cannot do anything about it.
We cannot change it. In Christ, it's what we are. In the Lord Jesus Christ, it's
what we are. We can't do anything about what
we are. Cannot do anything about it. We are what we are by the
grace of God. The gospel is a notification. The gospel is a notification
to poor, helpless, needy sinners that know if they don't have
the mercy of God, they're going to die in their sins. The gospel
is a notification of what Christ has done for sinners. It's not
a begging plea for you to do something for God. It's a notification
that by grace, by God's grace, you are saved. It's the declaration
of it. The announcement of it. You are
saved. And Ephesians goes on to say,
seated with Him in the heavenlies, raised up with Him And through
the faith that he gives to us, that's what it says in verse
eight, by grace you're saved through faith that's not of yourself,
that's the gift of God. Salvation is that gift and faith
to believe on Christ is that gift. And the sinner at the end
of it all just cries, thank you, Lord. Thank you so much, dear
Lord, for all of your goodness, all of your mercy to a sinner
like me. 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.