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 this morning from Mark chapter 16. Mark 16 and we'll
begin reading in verse 9. It says, Now when Jesus was risen
early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene,
out of whom he had cast seven devils. And she went and told
them that had been with him as they mourned and wept. And they,
when they had heard that he was alive and had been seen of her,
believed not. They believed not all of the
disciples. They were weeping and mourning
over the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. And can you imagine that?
Can you picture the scenario? They did not know what we now
know they should have, but the Lord Jesus Christ died and they
were devastated over it. And Mary Magdalene wouldn't leave
the tomb. They were gathered together,
but she stayed at the tomb, and she would not leave that tomb.
She was weeping and mourning. And when our Lord arose, Mary
Magdalene was the first one He revealed Himself to. And that
shows us that if we will draw nigh to our Lord, He'll draw
nigh to us. And he told her when he revealed
himself, he said, I want you to go and tell our brethren,
your brethren, my brethren, you go tell them the good news that
I have risen. You go announce that I have risen. And she did. And they did not
believe her. How sad is that? She came running
with this wonderful news. They were all weeping and they
didn't believe her. Verse 12 says, after that he appeared
in another form unto two of them as they walked and went into
the country. First he appeared to Mary Magdalene
and then he appeared to two other disciples. These two men were
walking to a little town called Emmaus and our Lord joined himself
to them and he asked them, what are you talking about? And they
said, you must not be from around here. You don't know what's going
on. And our Lord said, what is going on? And they said, Jesus
of Nazareth. It's all about Jesus of Nazareth.
They said, we are so sad and so distraught because we thought
he was going to be our savior. We were trusting that he was
gonna save us, but three days ago, he died. He died. And this is how he answered
them. He said, oh, fools and slow of
heart to believe. Ought not Christ to have suffered
these things, and to enter in to his glory?" He said, that
death was my glory. And beginning at Moses, that
means Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Beginning
at Moses, he expounded in all the scriptures the things concerning
himself. And they made it to Emmaus, listening
to him preach Christ in the scriptures to them. They made it to this
town, Emmaus, and he acted like he was going to keep on going,
but they constrained him. It says, they said, no, we want
you to stay with us. Please don't leave. Please keep
telling us what you're telling us. We need to hear this. And it says over in Luke 24,
if you have your Bible, look with me just a few pages over
at Luke chapter 24, verse 29 says, But they constrained him,
saying, Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day
is far spent. And he went in to Terry with
them. AND IT CAME TO PASS AS HE SAT
AT MEAT WITH THEM, HE TOOK BREAD, AND BLESSED IT, AND BREAK, AND
GAVE TO THEM, AND THEIR EYES WERE OPENED, AND THEY KNEW HIM,
AND HE VANISHED OUT OF THEIR SIGHT." And they said one to
another, did not our heart burn within us while he talked with
us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures, didn't
our hearts burn within us? Didn't it burn within us? WELL,
BACK IN OUR TEXT, KNOWING THAT HE APPEARED TO THESE TWO ON THE
ROAD TO Emmaus, AND THEIR HEARTS BURNED WITHIN THEM, AND HE EXPOUNDED
THE SCRIPTURES, AND HE BROKE BREAD, AND OPENED THEIR EYES,
AND THEY KNEW HIM. THEY KNEW WHO IT WAS. OKAY, NOW
BACK OVER IN OUR TEXT, IN MARK 16, IT SAYS IN VERSE 12, AFTER
THAT HE APPEARED IN ANOTHER FORM UNTO TWO OF THEM AS THEY WALKED
AND WENT INTO THE COUNTRY, AND THEY WENT AND TOLD IT UNTO THE
RESIDUE, NEITHER BELIEVED THEY THEN." THEY DIDN'T BELIEVE THEM
EITHER. IT'S AMAZING. IT IS SO AMAZING
HOW THIS FLESH WILL NOT BELIEVE GOD. ISN'T THAT AMAZING? THESE WERE HIS DISCIPLES, THESE
WERE HIS APOSTLES, THESE WERE THE ONE WHO WALKED WITH HIM FOR
THREE AND A HALF YEARS. BUT THIS FLESH NATURALLY, ALL
FLESH NATURALLY WILL NOT BELIEVE GOD. THE FLESH WILL NOT JUST
HEAR GOD'S WORD AND BELIEVE IT. IN VERSE 14 SAYS, AFTERWARD HE
APPEARED UNTO THE ELEVEN, HE FINALLY CAME TO ALL OF THEM,
AS THEY SAT AT MEET, AND HE UPBRAIDED THEM WITH THEIR UNBELIEF AND
HARDNESS OF HEART, BECAUSE THEY BELIEVED NOT THEM WHICH HAD SEEN
HIM AFTER HE WAS RISEN. HE SHARPLY REBUKED THEM. SHARPLY. BECAUSE THEY WOULD NOT BELIEVE
HIS WORD OR HIS WITNESSES. HE SENT WITNESSES TO THEM AND
SAID THIS IS WHAT GOD HAS SAID AND THEY WOULD NOT BELIEVE IT.
HE VERY CLEARLY AND PLAINLY THROUGHOUT THAT THREE AND A HALF YEARS HE
TOLD THEM THAT THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. THEY SHOULD HAVE KNOWN.
LOOK WITH ME BACK AT MARK CHAPTER 8. HE SAID IN MARK 8 VERSE 31,
HE BEGAN TO TEACH THEM THAT THE SON OF MAN MUST SUFFER MANY THINGS. AND BE REJECTED OF THE ELDERS,
AND OF THE CHIEF PRIESTS AND SCRIBES, AND BE KILLED, AND AFTER
THREE DAYS RISE AGAIN." HE TOLD THEM THAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.
MARK CHAPTER 9, THE VERY NEXT CHAPTER, VERSE 31, IT SAYS, FOR
HE TAUGHT HIS DISCIPLES AND SAID UNTO THEM, THE SON OF MAN IS
DELIVERED INTO THE HANDS OF MEN, AND THEY SHALL KILL HIM. AND
AFTER THAT HE IS KILLED, HE SHALL RISE THE THIRD DAY." HE TOLD
THEM AGAIN THE NEXT CHAPTER OVER. CHAPTER 10 VERSE 32 IT SAYS,
AND THEY WERE IN THE WAY GOING UP TO JERUSALEM, AND JESUS WENT
BEFORE THEM, AND THEY WERE AMAZED. And as they followed, they were
afraid. And he took again the twelve,
and began to tell them what things should happen unto him, saying,
Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man shall be delivered
unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn
him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles. and they
shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him,
and shall kill him, and the third day he shall rise again." He
told them, and he told them, and he told them, and they had
no excuse. No excuse. Man has no excuse
not to believe God. We today have no excuse not to
believe God. God is the one saying these things. God is speaking, but amazingly,
MAN BY NATURE WILL NOT BELIEVE GOD. WILL NOT BELIEVE HIS WORD,
WILL NOT BELIEVE HIS MESSENGERS. IT'S STILL HAPPENING TODAY. IT
HAPPENS EVERY DAY. STILL TO THIS VERY DAY. THIS
IS WHAT HE HAS PLAINLY SAID IN HIS WORD. THIS IS WHAT HE DECLARES
NOW. HE HAS SAID HE IS COMING BACK. HE HAS SAID HE IS COMING QUICKLY. HE HAS SAID IN THIS WORD EVERY
EYE SHALL SEE HIM WHEN HE COMES. THAT'S WHAT HE SAID. HE HAS DECLARED
IN THIS WORD THAT ALL OF HIS ELECT Every body that has fallen throughout
every generation, that soul is gonna be reconnected with that
body. The dead are gonna rise. And His elect, those who have
been chosen to believe on Him, chosen to believe, they're gonna
be taken up with Him. And all of those who do not believe
on Him, They're going to be left on this earth to be judged with
eternal physical fire and brimstone. That's what the word declares.
He says the heavens are going to melt with a fervent heat. He's declared it many times just
like he told them what was going to happen on the cross many times.
He has declared this now many times. EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE
IS GOING TO BE BURNED UP. EVERYTHING THAT'S LEFT ON THIS
EARTH. AND THEN ALL THOSE WHO ARE IN UNBELIEF, THEY ARE GOING
TO BE JUDGED BY THIS ETERNAL SPIRITUAL FIRE AND BRIMSTONE. NOW HOW MANY PEOPLE HEAR THAT
AND SAY, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT. That sounds like fairy tale. Where's the promise of His coming?
I don't believe that. Well, He said it. He said it. And so far, every
single thing He has said to this point has come to pass. EVERYTHING HE SAID WOULD COME
TO PASS HAS COME TO PASS. SO THIS IS OUR WARNING. THIS
IS OUR WARNING. HE SAID THERE'S ONE SIN THAT
WILL NOT BE FORGIVEN AND IT'S THE SIN OF UNBELIEF. HERE'S OUR
WARNING. LET'S BELIEVE GOD. LET'S BELIEVE GOD. LET'S BELIEVE
HIS WORD. DOESN'T ALL OF THIS MAKE YOU
WANT TO CRY GOD BE MERCIFUL TO ME? THAT'S WHAT IT MAKES ME WANT
TO CRY. LORD, BE MERCIFUL TO ME. I BELIEVE
YOU. I BELIEVE THAT IS HOW THIS EARTH
IS GOING TO END. I BELIEVE YOU. GOD, BE MERCIFUL.
SAVE ME. SPARE ME FROM WHAT I HAVE COMING
TO ME AS I STAND IN THE FLESH. WELL, IF THAT ALSO MAKES YOU
WANT TO CRY THE SAME THING, then I have very good news for both
of us. I have some very good news for
both of us. Back in Mark 16, back in our
text, Verse 14 says, "...Afterward he appeared unto the eleven,
as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and
hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen
him after he was risen." He sharply warned them of the danger of
unbelief and he proved himself to them. HE PROVED HIS WORD TO
THEM. HE CONVINCED THEM THAT NOT ONE
WORD OF HIS SHALL FALL. HE SHOWED THEM THE SCARS IN HIS
HANDS. HE SAID, YOU TOUCH ME. HIT HIS
EYE. THOMAS SAID, THE ONE DOUBTING THOMAS, HE SAID, MY LORD AND
MY GOD, I BELIEVE NOW. I BELIEVE. AND HE PROVED TO THEM
EVERY WORD IS TRUE. EVERY SINGLE WORD IS TRUE. AND
THEN VERSE 15, HE SAID UNTO THEM, GO YE INTO ALL THE WORLD AND
PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY CREATURE. HE THAT BELIEVETH AND IS BAPTIZED
SHALL BE SAVED. HE THAT BELIEVETH AND IS BAPTIZED
SHALL BE SAVED. NOW THAT RIGHT THERE IS MY CALLING. That's my calling. That's why
I'm here. This is what God has called me to do. He told Peter,
he said, Peter, do you love me? Feed my sheep. You feed my sheep. Feed them my word. Preach the
gospel to them. He said, Isaiah, COMFORT YE,
COMFORT YE MY PEOPLE. SAITH YOUR GOD. THAT'S WHAT I
WANT YOU TO DO. COMFORT YE MY PEOPLE. HE TOLD ALL OF HIS DISCIPLES
RIGHT HERE. HE SAID I WANT YOU TO GO INTO
ALL THE WORLD AND PREACH THE GOSPEL. PREACH THE GOSPEL. IF A MAN HAS BEEN CALLED BY GOD
TO PREACH, THERE ARE MANY PREACHERS TODAY WHO HAVE NOT BEEN CALLED
BY GOD. THEY HAVE BEEN CALLED BY THEMSELVES
OR THEY'VE BEEN CALLED BY ANOTHER MAN. BUT IF A PREACHER HAS BEEN
CALLED BY GOD TO PREACH THEN HE HAS BEEN CALLED TO PREACH
THE GOSPEL. He's been called to preach one
thing. The word gospel means good news. It means glad tidings. I compare that. I envision a
paper boy back in the days when paper boys would stand on the
corner holding up the paper crying, good news, extra, read all about
it. GLAD TIDINGS. IF A MAN HAS BEEN
CALLED OF GOD TO PREACH THEN HE'S BEEN CALLED TO PREACH GOOD
NEWS. NOW, WHAT IS THE GOOD NEWS? WHAT IS THE GOOD NEWS THAT WE'VE
BEEN CALLED TO PREACH? WELL, THERE IS GOOD NEWS ON EVERY
SINGLE PAGE IN THIS BOOK. WE COULD TURN ANYWHERE AND READ
AND PREACH GOOD NEWS. BUT FOR THIS MESSAGE, WE COULD
BE HERE FOREVER DECLARING GOOD NEWS, BUT FOR THIS MESSAGE, THERE
ARE FIVE PLACES IN THE SCRIPTURE THAT I WANT TO DECLARE TO YOU
AND TO MYSELF. I WANT TO DECLARE THIS TO MYSELF.
THIS IS SUCH GOOD NEWS TO ME. SUCH GOOD NEWS. ALL OF THESE
FIVE PLACES. GOOD NEWS. IF YOU'RE TURNING
WITH ME, AND I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO TURN, IF YOU HAVE A BIBLE
HANDY, OPEN IT UP AND LOOK AT THESE WITH ME. THE FIRST ONE
IS FIRST TIMOTHY, CHAPTER 1. IN FIRST TIMOTHY, CHAPTER 1,
VERSE 15 SAYS, THIS IS A FAITHFUL SAYING, THAT MEANS THIS IS THE
TRUTH, AND WORTHY OF ALL ACCEPTATION. That means it's worthy to be
believed. That Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners. And the apostle Paul said, of
whom I am chief. He said, I'm chief. This is the
first thing I have to say. Christ Jesus came into this world
to save sinners. He came to save sinners. May God give us a heart to truly
believe that. I mean honestly believe that.
May He comfort us in that. THE NATURAL RESPONSE OF THE FLESH
IS THIS, AND YOU ASSESS YOURSELF AND YOU TELL ME IF YOU AGREE
WITH THIS. THE NATURAL RESPONSE OF THE FLESH IS NO. WAIT A MINUTE.
THAT'S NOT RIGHT. CHRIST CAME INTO THE WORLD TO
SAVE GOOD PEOPLE. THAT'S WHO CHRIST CAME TO SAVE.
HE CAME TO SAVE GOOD PEOPLE. IF YOU WANT TO BE SAVED, YOU
HAVE TO BE A PERSON WHO IS NOT A SINNER. THAT'S THE NATURAL
RESPONSE OF THE FLESH. BUT LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION.
WHAT DID GOD SAY? WHAT DID GOD SAY? WHAT DID GOD
TELL HIS MESSENGER, THE APOSTLE PAUL, TO SAY? HE SAID, I CAME
TO SAVE SINNERS. LET'S BELIEVE IT. LET'S BELIEVE
IT. CHRIST CAME TO SAVE SINNERS. Somebody will say, well that's
not what I've been told all my life. My preacher didn't tell
me that. My mother didn't tell me that. God is telling us that. God is telling us. Let's believe
it. Christ came to have mercy on sinners in order to believe
that and in order to rejoice in it. It's good news. It's glad
tidings. ORDER TO TRULY BELIEVE IT AND
REJOICE IN IT. I HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I
AM A SINNER. IN ORDER TO REJOICE IN IT I HAVE
TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I'M A SINNER BECAUSE IF I'M NOT A SINNER THEN
THAT VERSE OF SCRIPTURE RIGHT THERE IS SAYING CHRIST DID NOT
COME TO SAVE ME. If I'm not a sinner. But the
amazing news is I am a sinner. I'm a sinner. I am exactly who Christ said
he came to save. And you are too. Because you're
a sinner too. We both know we are. HE SAID
HE CAME TO SAVE SINNERS. I HAVE GOOD NEWS FOR BOTH OF
US. HE SAID I DID NOT COME TO CALL THE RIGHTEOUS BUT SINNERS. IF YOU ARE A SINNER This might
run through your mind. If you know you're a sinner,
there are some people who are convinced, they have themselves
convinced they're not sinners. Some people know. And if you're
like me, if you know you're a sinner, this might run through your mind.
I don't know, this sounds too good to be true. I think this
is too good to be true. Let's just believe it. God said
it. Let's just believe it. Christ
came to save sinners. All right, let's continue with
this good news. Over in Ephesians 1, if you want to look with me
there at Ephesians 1, verse 4 says, According as He hath chosen us
in Him, in Christ, before the foundation of the world, that
we should be holy and without blame, before Him in love. Not only did Christ spare us
eternal damnation, not only did He come to save us sinners from
absolute destruction, HE CHOSE FOR US TO BE PLACED IN HIM SO
THAT WE WOULD NOT ONLY BE SPARED BUT BE MADE HOLY AND WITHOUT
BLAME. COMPLETELY WITHOUT BLAME. ALL
WE ARE IN THIS FLESH IS UNHOLY AND WITH BLAME. OUR RECORD IS
FULL OF BLAME. FULL OF BLAME. BUT HE CHOSE TO
GIVE US A BRAND NEW RECORD. BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE
WORLD, IT SAYS, HE CHOSE TO WIPE OUR SLATE CLEAN. AND WE ALL KNOW
WE HAVE A RECORD, DON'T WE? IN CHRIST, IT HAS BEEN WIPED
CLEAN. IN CHRIST, IT'S GONE. IT'S ABSOLUTELY
GONE. SOMEBODY WILL SAY, WELL, HOW
DID HE DO THAT? Well, I'm glad you asked. The answer to that
is our third question, the third point we want to see. It's in
Romans 5. If you'll turn with me to Romans
5, it says in verse 5, Hope maketh not ashamed, because the love
of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which
is given unto us. For when we were without strength,
in due time Christ died for the ungodly." FOR SCARCELY FOR A
RIGHTEOUS MAN WILL ONE DIE, YET PER ADVENTURE FOR A GOOD MAN
SOME WOULD EVEN DARE TO DIE. BUT GOD COMMENDED HIS LOVE TOWARD
US IN THAT WHILE WE WERE YET SINNERS, CHRIST DIED FOR US."
He died for us. HE COMMENDED HIS LOVE TO US BY
DYING FOR US. YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY WILL HEAR
THIS AND SAY, ARE YOU SAYING IT'S GOOD TO BE A SINNER? ARE
YOU SAYING THAT IT'S GOOD, ARE YOU ENCOURAGING US TO BE SINNERS? I READ WHERE GOD ALMIGHTY SAID
IN HIS WORD, IF YOU SIN AGAINST ME, YOU'LL DIE IN YOUR SINS. WELL, HERE'S THE TRUTH OF THE
MATTER. IF GOD CHOSE TO PUT US IN CHRIST,
IF GOD CHOSE TO REDEEM US IN HIS DEATH, CHRIST DID DIE IN
YOUR SINS. HE DID DIE BEARING YOUR SINS
AND MY SINS, THE SIN OF HIS PEOPLE. THE LORD JESUS CHRIST HAS SAID
TO HIS PREACHERS, I WANT YOU TO GO INTO ALL THE WORLD. And
I want you to look my people right in the eye and you tell
them Christ died in your sins. He died paying your price. That's good news. That's very
good news. Here's the fourth piece of wonderful
news. Ephesians 2 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." IT GOES ON DOWN IN VERSE
4 TO SAY, 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, BY GRACE YOU ARE SAVED. YOU ARE SAVED. YOU ARE, NOT WILL
BE. The Apostle John said, Beloved,
right now we're the sons of God, not will be. If we've been quickened
together with Christ, we are children of God. His children
say, well, I don't feel like it. I sure don't feel like it. I feel so dead and so cold. God
says we are in Christ. Let's believe it. We're quickened
with him. John went on to say, it does
not appear what we shall be when this body of death is finally
gone. But he said, when he appears, we're going to realize we're
just like him. Just like him. Amazing news.
Here's the final thing. John chapter 6, verse 37, it
says, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me. EVERY SOUL THAT THE FATHER GAVE
TO CHRIST IS GOING TO COME TO CHRIST. WE HEAR ALL OF THESE
WONDERFUL THINGS AND THINK, HOW CAN I KNOW THIS APPLIES TO ME?
THESE ARE WONDERFUL PIECES OF NEWS, BUT HOW CAN I KNOW THAT
THEY BELONG TO ME? HOW CAN I KNOW IT'S MY GOOD NEWS?
HERE'S THE ANSWER. EVERY SOUL THAT GOD THE FATHER
GAVE TO CHRIST SHALL COME TO CHRIST IN THE HEART. Every soul
will believe God. Come in the heart of faith, and
every soul that comes in the heart of faith shall be saved. And he said, him that cometh
to me, I will in no wise cast out. Come in the heart, let's
believe God, bow to his word, and he will not cast us out.
Until 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, you can write to our physical mailing address at 905 Yadkin
Street, Kingsport, Tennessee 37660 or log on to our website
at ksgctn.org. Please tune in next week for
another message of God's free and sovereign grace.