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 invite you to
turn with me to the book of Hebrews. I have a message for you this
morning from Hebrews chapter 11. And I'm going to read verses
11 and 12. Hebrews 11 verse 11 says, through
faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed and
was delivered of a child when she was past age because she
judged him faithful who had promised. Therefore sprang there even of
one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky
in multitude, and as the sand which is by the seashore innumerable." The writer of the book of Hebrews
is recalling to us the account of Abraham and Sarah having a
child, the story of God's promise to give them a child and everything
that took place. And I want us to begin this message
with a question. Let's think about this question.
Why were the things written in the word of God that are written? Why these particular things?
Why did God choose to record what he recorded? Why did he
choose these particular people? Why did he choose these particular
stories? Why would he record everything
that he has specifically said about them, the details that
he chose to put in his word and the details he chose to leave
out of his word? Why were they written? Why do
we study them so fervently? These same stories. A lot of
these stories are written in the Old Testament and then recalled
in the New Testament. And we study them, we study them
word by word. Why do we put so much emphasis
on the details of these accounts? Why do we do that? The answer
to every bit of that is it's because God has revealed how
he saves sinners through these stories. All of these stories, some of
them are very easy to follow and understand. Some are more
difficult to follow and understand. But all of these accounts reveal
how God saves sinners. They're all written on purpose
for a purpose. And it's to teach us the truth
of salvation. Let me show you a verse of scripture
in Mark chapter four. We're going to look at a couple
of things. And if you have a Bible there, you may want to turn with
me and read it for yourself. In Mark chapter four, verse 33
says, And with many such parables spake He the word unto them. The Lord Jesus Christ preached
to the people. With many such parables spake
He the word unto them as they were able to hear it. But without
a parable spake He not unto them, and when they were alone He expounded
all things to His disciples. Without a parable, he did not
preach to the people. Our Lord has chosen to teach
his people the truth, the truth of his word, the truth of God,
the truth of Christ through stories, through parables, the truth of
how he deals with sinners. He's chosen to reveal that through
parables. All of these earthly stories
reveal heavenly meaning. All of them. Now, if you'll look
with me at Galatians chapter 4, talking about this story of
Abraham and Sarah. In Galatians chapter 4, verse
22 says, For it is written that Abraham had two sons. And if
you remember the story, you know that that's so. Abraham had two
sons. The one by a bondwoman, Hagar,
that was Sarah's handmaid. And the Lord waited, the Lord
promised a son and waited, and Abraham and Sarah decided maybe
they needed to take matters into their own hands. So he had a
son by a bondwoman, Hagar, and the other by a free woman, that's
Sarah, his wife. But he who was of the bondwoman
was born after the flesh. Meaning, he was born because
Abraham decided to take matters into his own hands. He decided
to produce his own works in the matter. But he of the free woman,
the son that was born by Sarah, he was born by promise. One by
works, one by promise. Verse 24 says, Which things are
an allegory? The whole story is an allegory. That word means an illustration. It means a parable. The whole
story is a parable. Verse 24 goes on to say, For
these are the two covenants. These two sons represent the
two covenants. Everything that is written about
Hagar reveals God's promise concerning man's works. We talk about man's
works, the things that man is going to do to earn favor with
God. Everything that is revealed about
Hagar reveals God's promise concerning man's works. How he's going to
deal with man and respond to man based on his works. Now, what happened to Hagar?
How does the story go? Well, she was cast out. If you look at verse 30 here
in Galatians 4, it says, nevertheless, what sayeth the scripture? Cast
out the bondwoman and her son. For the son of the bondwoman
shall not be heir with the son of the free woman. Everything
that happened to Hagar reveals God's dealings with us based
on our works, based on our own works, how we're trying to please
God and appease God based on our own works. Everything that
happened to Sarah, Abraham's wife, the free woman, reveals
God's dealings with us based on his promise of grace, based
on his promise of a free gift, not earning it, God's free gift. Now, what happened to Sarah?
We'll go back to our text and we'll find out. Turn with me
back to Hebrews chapter 11, verse 11 says, through faith, through faith. Now, when we see
the word faith, this is very important to realize. That does
not mean what most people believe believes that it means. When
we hear the word faith, many people believe that's my reaction
to God or my attitude toward God or my decision toward God,
me to God. That's what most people believe.
Faith is me to God, me to God. my effort. That is not what faith
means. Faith means, and faith is, God
to me. God to me. The opposite of what
most people believe. It's God's effort to me, not
my effort to God. God's effort to me. Ephesians
2 tells us that faith is not of ourselves. It is not in us. It does not come from us. It
is not produced by us. It is not of ourselves. It is the gift of God. Faith
comes down. We do not author it. He does. This is what Hebrews chapter
12 tells us. He is the author of it. He's
the finisher of it. We do not author it. We do not
finish it. He does. We don't start it. He does. We do not work faith
in us. Philippians 1 tells us that it
is God which worketh in us. He which began the work in you
will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. We did not begin
anything. He began it. So verse 11 is telling
us through God to Sarah. That's what it's saying. Through
faith. through God to Sarah, through God doing something for
Sarah. Through faith also Sarah herself
received strength to conceive seed and was delivered of a child
when she was past age. She was past childbearing age
because she judged him faithful who had promised. Therefore sprang
there even of one, that's Abraham, and him as good as dead, as good
as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude and as
the sand which is by the seashore, innumerable. Now what is our
Lord telling us about Sarah and Abraham? Here's what he's telling
us. They were dead. They were dead. They both were
dead. Verse 11 says, Sarah was past
age. Verse 12 says, Abraham was as
good as dead. They were both dead. Over in Romans chapter 4, verse
19 says, in being not weak in faith, he considered not his
own body now dead. Speaking of Abraham. He considered
not his own body, now dead, when he was about an hundred years
old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb." Even though
he was a hundred years old and Sarah was past age, the deadness
of her womb, that's not what filled Abraham's mind and heart
and focus. They were both dead. But what
God is telling us through this is God moves in spite of those
things. In spite of those things. This
is an allegory. We are dead, just like Abraham
and Sarah. All men and women on this earth
are spiritually dead. Spiritually dead. There is no
spiritual life in us. It does not start with us. It
does not come from us. Life is not just all of a sudden
created by us, performed by us. There is no spiritual life in
us. We are dead. No ability at all. So many people believe I have
to do something so I can be saved. That's what so many people believe.
Well, I have to do something so I can be saved. I want to
be saved. I have to do something. I have
to somehow produce salvation. Here's the reality of the matter.
We're dead. I mean dead. Completely dead. There is no life in us. There is no ability in us to
produce life. But verse 17 right here in Romans
chapter 4 says, as it is written, I have made thee a father of
many nations. God told Abraham, I'm going to
give you so many children, you're not going to be able to count
them. I'm going to produce so much life, you won't even be
able to fathom it. And by faith, by God to Abraham,
by God moving and God doing something, Abraham believed God. Verse 17
says, As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations
before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the
dead. He quickens the dead and calleth
those things which be not as though they were. Who against
hope believed in hope that he might become the father of many
nations According to that which was spoken, so shall thy seed
be." God said, this is what's going to happen. God gave Abraham
faith to believe God. Verse 19 says, and being not
weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead. When
he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness
of Sarah's womb, he staggered not at the promise. of God through
unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God. He staggered
not at the promise of God, that second covenant that Sarah represents. God has made a promise to his
people, and his people hold to that promise and believe that
promise. Verse 21 says, being fully persuaded
that, and this is what faith is, being fully persuaded that
what he had promised, he was able also to perform. That's what faith is. Faith believes
what God has promised, God is able to perform. That's what
faith believes. Verse 22, and therefore it was
imputed to him. That means counted as inventory. given to him for inventory. It
was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his
sake alone that it was imputed to him, but for us also to whom
it shall be imputed if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our
Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses and was raised
again for our justification. What does all that mean? That
means God has given us a glorious gospel to declare and to believe. He has made a promise to us. a glorious declaration. He has given us a message of
hope and a message of good news in spite of our impossible condition. We're just as dead as Abraham
and Sarah. But God has made the same promise
to all of his people that he made to Abraham and Sarah. Over
in Genesis chapter 18, This is where God declared that good
news to Abraham and Sarah. It says in Genesis 18 verse 1,
the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre and he sat
in the tent door in the heat of the day. God came to Abraham. This is how it all happened.
God came to Abraham. Abraham didn't go to him. Abraham
was just sitting in his tent door. And God in kindness and
in goodness and in love came down to Abraham where he was,
and that's how it happens every single time. God moves. God comes
to his child where they are. Verse 2 says, and he lift up
his eyes and looked, and lo, three men stood by him. And when
he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door and bowed
himself toward the ground. Who were those three men? That
was God Almighty and two of his angels. We'll call them Mercy
and Grace. Verse 9 says, And they said unto
him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.
And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to
the time of life. And lo, Sarah thy wife shall
have a son. Sarah is going to have a son.
And Sarah heard it in the tent door which was behind him. Now
Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age, and it
ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. Therefore
Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old,
shall I have pleasure, my Lord, being old also? And the Lord
said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh? Why did Sarah
laugh at my promise? Saying, Shall I of a surety bear
a child which am old? And then the Lord asked this
question. What a glorious question. He said in verse 14, is anything
too hard for the Lord? That's the gospel. Is anything
too hard for the Lord? That's the title of this message.
Is anything too hard for the Lord? He said, at the time appointed,
I will return unto thee according to the time of life and Sarah
shall have a son. There is nothing that you or
I can do Nothing that either one of us can do to save ourselves. Nothing. We cannot influence
our salvation in any way. We cannot do anything to make
ourselves acceptable to God. We cannot do anything to make
ourselves desirable to God. We are too sinful. and we're
too dead, too sinful and too dead. But here is the glorious
declaration of the gospel. Nothing is too hard for God. Nothing is too hard for the Lord. I know that we are all about
the vilest thing on this earth. I know that. Believe me, I know
that you and I both. I'm well aware of that, but nothing
No one. I mean, no one. It does not matter
who, it does not matter where. No one is too hard for God to
save. No one. Doesn't matter how sinful. It doesn't matter how dead. We
started this by asking, why these stories? And think about the
story. Some of the stories roll through
your mind. Why these people? Think about this really. I mean,
this is God's word, God's eternal word, the canon that he purposed
to record for all eternity. Why harlots like Rahab? Did you know that God saves harlots? Nothing is too hard for the Lord.
Nothing. Why murderers like Barabbas? Did you know that God saves murderers? Nothing is too hard for the Lord.
Nothing. Listen to this one. Here's the
worst one of all. Here's the worst one of all. Why self-righteous? We call them goody-two-shoes.
Why self-righteous, goody-two-shoes, church-going Pharisees like Saul
of Tarsus? Did you know that God shows mercy
to self-righteous, goody-two-shoes, church-going Pharisees? Nothing
is too hard for the Lord. Nothing. Nothing. Genesis chapter
21, verse 1 says, And the Lord visited Sarah, as He had said,
And the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken. Sarah did not
visit God. God came to her where she was
in all of her deadness, just like he did for Abraham, just
like he did for me, just like he did for all of his children. God came to Sarah, visited Sarah,
God did unto Sarah as he said. Verse 2 says, For Sarah conceived
and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which
God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of
his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. Isaac, he called him Isaac. And
Abraham circumcised his son Isaac the eighth day, as God commanded
him. And Abraham was 100 years old
when his son Isaac was born unto him. Isaac was the son of promise. The son of promise, the promise
of life through the work of God alone. Abraham and Sarah had
nothing to do with it. They tried. It was just ruined.
They ruined it. That's all they did. They were
both dead. but nothing is too hard for God.
Nothing. No sinner is too sinful. No sinner is too dead. Isaac represents the covenant
of God's free and sovereign grace. He represents Christ, the promised
son. He represents Christ. God sending
Isaac to Sarah represents God sending Christ to us. Christ in us, just like Isaac
was in Sarah, brought life to her. Christ in us is the hope
of glory. Christ in us is the hope of life,
eternal life. He's the only hope there is.
The only hope. He is life. If God is gonna send life, God
must send Christ. He is life. With dead man, salvation
is impossible. It's impossible. But with the
God of life, nothing is impossible. Nothing is too hard for the Lord.
Every soul on this earth was born into this world spiritually
dead, all of us. Every soul on this earth walks
the course of this life, goes throughout life spiritually dead.
But God has chosen some dead sinners. He's chosen to come
to them where they are, just like he did for Abraham, just
like he did for Sarah. And he's chosen to plant an incorruptible
seed of life in them. That seed is Christ. That seed
is planted, that seed is watered, that seed grows, that seed bears
fruit. through the declaration of the
good news of the life that comes to sinners through the work and
the blood of Jesus Christ alone. It lives, it grows, it thrives
through the preaching of God's true gospel, which is the person
of the Lord Jesus Christ. So here's where we'll close the
message. The declaration of the gospel
of life Ephesians 2 verse 1 says, And you hath he quickened who
were dead in trespasses and sins, 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. Every one of us had this dead
walk. Verse 4 says, 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. He united us with the life of
Christ By grace, you are saved. And he has raised us up together
and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that
in the ages to come, he might show the exceeding riches of
his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. What
a glorious message of a promise of life. in the Lord Jesus 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.