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 want to invite you to turn
with me this morning to the book of Galatians. we're going to
be looking at chapter 1, verses 11 to the end of the chapter. Now, the Galatians were a group
of believers that the Apostle Paul came to. The Lord led him
to them and he preached the gospel to these believers. And then
he left and moved on to other areas. And in the process, some
false preachers came in to the Galatians, and they were trying
to steer them away from the gospel that Paul delivered to them. And they caused the Galatians
to question the apostle's authority, his actual apostleship. So Paul
began his letter to them by saying in verse one, Paul, an apostle,
He very clearly stated that. Not of men, neither by man, but
by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead. He is going to confirm to them
that He is indeed an apostle. And the truth of the matter is,
we need for Him to confirm that to us. I need that to be confirmed
to me and you need the same thing. We're in a world of hurt if Paul
is not an apostle. He wrote half of the New Testament.
And we believe that the New Testament is the word of God himself. We
believe that the New Testament is the word of God almighty. So if Paul is not an apostle,
we're in trouble. Because we believe a lie. We
believe something is God's word when it indeed is not. But the
truth of the matter is, Paul is an apostle. On this radio
broadcast, we've seen many times where in Acts chapter nine, God
confronted him. The thunder of God's voice knocked
Paul to the ground. Saul of Tarsus, he was called
at the time. And the sight of the face of
the Lord Jesus Christ blinded Saul. Just seeing the glory of
God in the face of Jesus Christ blinded this man. We also know
of this account, if you'll look with me back a page or so at
2 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 2 says, I knew a man in Christ
above 14 years ago. And the apostle Paul is talking
about himself. He said, whether in the body
I cannot tell or whether out of the body I cannot tell, God
knoweth. Such in one called up to the
third heaven. And I knew such a man, whether
in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell, God knoweth, how
that he was caught up into paradise. and heard unspeakable words which
it is not lawful for a man to utter." God brought him up to
heaven, the third heaven. He heard things that are not
possible for a man to describe. We have two other accounts in
the book of Acts where the Lord came and stood by him and spoke
to him. So Paul was indeed an eyewitness
to the fact that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead. That
was one of the requirements of being an apostle. You had to
be an eyewitness to the fact that Christ had risen from the
dead. And Paul was indeed an eyewitness. And he's about to tell the Galatians
that the gospel was revealed to him by the mouth of Christ
himself. That was another requirement.
You had to have the gospel revealed to you by Christ himself. Back in Galatians chapter one,
verse 11 says, but I certify you, brethren, that the gospel
which was preached of me is not after man. He said, I certify
you, brethren. I'm declaring to you with certainty,
absolute certainty. that the gospel which was preached
of me is not after man. I am not delivering something
to you that I got from another man. Now that is how we receive the
gospel. It pleased the Lord by the foolishness
of preaching to save them that believe. Isn't that what our
Lord said through the Apostle Paul back in Romans 10? If you'll
look with me, if you're turning with me, go over to Romans chapter
10, verse 13 says, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the
Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him
in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in
Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without
a preacher? How shall they hear without a
preacher? God calls out His sheep through preachers of the Word. That's how it has pleased Him,
to save them that believe, through the preaching of His Word. But
God dealt with men directly in the writing of His Word. And
Paul said, he dealt with me directly. He dealt with me directly. Now back over in Galatians 1
verse 11 says, but I certify you, brethren, that the gospel
which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received
it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of
Jesus Christ. That's how the gospel came to
me, by the revelation of Jesus Christ. Over in 1 Corinthians
chapter 11, this is where Paul exhorted the Lord's table, the
Corinthians and the Lord's table, and he said in verse 23, I have
received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you. I
received it of the Lord. What he's saying is God told
me to deliver this ordinance to you. So Paul was an apostle. And as we are reading Paul and
believing Paul and quoting Paul, we're reading God. And we're
believing God and we're quoting God. No prophecy of the scripture
is of any private interpretation. That's what Peter said. No prophecy
is of any private interpretation. If Paul said it, God said it. If Isaiah said it, God said it.
If Moses said it, God said it. So God made him to be an apostle. And back over in Galatians, verse
11 says, I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached
of me is not after man, For I neither received it of man, neither was
I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. For you have
heard of my conversation in time past, in the Jews' religion,
how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God and wasted
it. and profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals
in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions
of my fathers." These false prophets, they were bringing the law back.
And that's what all of our fathers have done, the traditions of
our fathers. talking about the Word of God.
He didn't say he profited in the Word of God. He said he profited
in the traditions of his fathers. And these false prophets, they
were doing the same thing that Saul of Tarsus did. They were
confusing grace by stressing the law. They were causing the
Galatians to believe that somehow their salvation still depended
on them following the law. And Paul told him, I know all
about the law. I know all about the law. You
know my past, he said. Verse 13, you have heard of my
conversation in time past, in the Jews' religion, how that
beyond measure I persecuted the church of God and wasted it.
And he's saying he did that because they were not following this
law. They did not follow the law of Moses. He said, I hated
Jesus Christ. I hated his followers. I hated
salvation by his grace. And I gave my all to destroy
it. The end of verse 13, he said, I persecuted the church of God
and wasted it. Killed the church of God, killed
his Now brethren, verse 14, he said, and I profited in the Jews'
religion above many my equals in my own nation, being more
exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. He said, I was
no novice in the law, no novice. Not only did I know it, I lived
it more than they all. Verse 15, he said, but. But. When it pleased God. Let's all listen to the apostle
here. Let's listen to what he has to
say through the Spirit of God, by the Word of God Himself. He said, but. When it pleased
God. When is a sinner saved? When
is a sinner saved? The answer is when it pleases
God. When it pleased God. You know, in religion, Men and
women make their decisions. They decide to be saved. It happens
every day. It happens all over this world. Men have an emotional moment. They feel sorry for what they've
done and they decide they're ready to be saved. I believe
with all my heart they're truly sincere. I believe they are. I believe they set their mind
and they set their heart to be saved. But do you know that they're
still not saved? Not if that's all that has happened. Salvation does not take place
when a sinner decides to be saved. Salvation takes place when it
pleases God. That's the truth of the matter.
That's the honest truth of the matter. Men are standing up in
pulpits every day. Men are gonna do it today. And
they're gonna tell poor souls, you need to make your decision
for God, and if you'll do that, everything will be fine. But
that's not the moment that God saves sinners. That's not when
sinners are saved. They're saved when it pleases
God. Turn with me over to Matthew
7. This is one of the most clear examples of this I know of. Matthew
chapter 7 verse 21 says, not everyone that saith unto me,
and this is God speaking, this is the Lord Jesus Christ speaking.
He said, not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter
into the kingdom of heaven. but he that doeth the will of
my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day,
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out
devils, and in thy name have done many wonderful works. Now
these are people who decided to be saved. These are people
who wanted to be saved. But here's the thing about it,
they didn't want to be saved on the terms of Jesus Christ.
They weren't happy with the terms that He spelled out in His Word. They wanted to be saved on their
own terms. They wanted to be saved in their
own time. They wanted to be saved in their
own way, and they thought they were saved. They said, Lord, we've prophesied
in Your name. We've cast out devils in Your
name, but this is what God said to them in verse 23. Then will
I profess unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye
that work iniquity. All of that soul winning you
thought you were doing, it was just sin. That's what iniquity
is, sin. When will a sinner be saved? The answer is when it pleases
God. That's the answer. When it pleases
God, if it pleases God, that's the only way a sinner can be
saved. And back over in Galatians chapter
one, Paul is telling the Galatians that salvation is not about the
law. Salvation has nothing to do with obeying the law. This
is a truth of God's Word I wish everyone could understand. I
wish I could tell this to the world. It's a shocking revelation. Salvation has nothing to do with
obeying the law. Paul said, I tried it. I tried it. All it did was bring
God's wrath down on me. Just like those Matthew 7 Pharisees
we just read about. All it did was bring God's wrath
down on them. Verse 15, he said, but when it
pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb. You know
what you call that? When a child is separated from
his mother's womb, you know what that's called? It's called birth. He said, let me tell you how
salvation is accomplished. And this is the truth. Paul said,
the same one that caused me to be born the first time caused
me to be born again. The same one that caused me,
I didn't play a role in my physical birth. I didn't make a decision
to be born. God caused me to be born. He
brought me forth in His time when it pleased God. My mother
didn't decide the moment when it pleased God. The one
who caused me to be born physically caused me to be born spiritually. Verse 15, he said, but when it
pleased God who separated me from my mother's womb and called
me by His grace, quickened me by His Spirit, pricked my ear,
pricked my heart, gave me life, He called me by His grace. Verse
16 says, to reveal His Son in me. Now I want us to notice something
very important. The difference between eternal
life and eternal death can be as small as two little letters.
He did not say to reveal his son to me in the mind. He said in me, in the heart. A man used to say years ago,
salvation is roughly 18 inches. The distance it takes to get
from the head to the heart, to the heart. We should never be
satisfied to have an understanding of the grace of Christ, but no
heart for it. We should never be satisfied
to have a grasp of what men call the doctrines of grace and no
love for it, no need of it. Salvation is not knowing about
Christ. Salvation is knowing Christ.
When it pleased God, to save a sinner, when it pleases Him
to call that sinner by His grace, He puts Christ in that sinner. Christ in a sinner is that sinner's
hope of glory. Christ in a sinner is the evidence
of a sinner's being in Christ. Christ in that sinner is the
evidence of that sinner being in Christ. Salvation is not an issue of
the mind, it's an issue of the heart. Christ in me. A man can know exactly how Christ
saves sinners and not be a saved sinner. A man can know exactly how Christ
saves sinners and not be a saved sinner. Christ can be revealed
to him, but not in him. Nothing in the heart. Just like
a man can know everything about his wife and have nothing for
her in his heart, he can know every tone of her voice and have
no desire to speak with her. He can know exactly where her
favorite restaurant is and have no desire to take her there.
A true saving union with Christ is in the heart. It's in the
heart. Verse 16 says, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach
Him. That's the gospel. That was the
Apostle Paul's message, and that's our message. That's the truth,
that's the gospel. If you wanna know whether or
not a man is preaching the gospel, when his message is over, ask
yourself, did he preach Christ? And listen to the specifics of
this. If a preacher stands up and if
he preaches man's responsibility, if he preaches man's efforts,
now Jesus died on the cross to save you now, but if you don't
accept him, if you don't receive him, if you don't come to him,
if you don't call on him, if you don't ask him to forgive
you, then he's not going to, well that's man's responsibility.
And that's man's effort. If you hear a man stand up and
say that a person is going to go to heaven because he's been
good all his life and he accepted Jesus and he did this and he
did that, man's goodness, man's right. If you hear any of those
things, then you just heard a preacher preach man. If it all hinges
on man, then He preached man. They talk about this man Jesus
who came, they talk about a cross, they talk about death, they talk
about blood, they talk about all these things. But if it ultimately
comes down to your decision, then they just preached man.
But if a man stands up and preaches the mind of Christ, the heart
of Christ, the will of Christ, the purpose of Christ, the work
of Christ, and the accomplishment of Christ. Everything he set
out to do, he did. Everything he started, he finished. Totally without man. If you hear a man preach that,
then you just heard him preach Christ. And if he preached Christ,
he preached the gospel. The gospel is a person. The gospel
is all about a person, who he is and what he has done. Verse 15 says, but when it pleased
God who separated me from my mother's womb and called me by
His grace to reveal His Son in me that I might preach Him among
the heathen, immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood, Neither
went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me,
but I went into Arabia." Now what he's saying is, I didn't
need anybody's approval. When God speaks to the heart
of a sinner, he does not need anyone's permission or anyone's
approval. When God says, come, that sinner
comes. He doesn't run over to somebody
else and say, God told me to come. You think I ought to come?
Even if flesh and blood is trying to stand in his way, if God says
come, that sinner is coming. If God says bow, that sinner
is bowing. That sinner will know that he
has a brand new master and he'll know exactly who it is. And he
won't confer with anybody, he'll obey his God. So he said in verse
17, neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before
me, but I went into Arabia. Why Arabia? What's in Arabia?
If you look at chapter four, verse 25 says, for this Agar
is Mount Sinai in Arabia. Mount Sinai is in Arabia, the
mountain where God gave the law to Moses. God brought the apostle
Paul to Arabia. He could have taken him to the
very same spot he took Moses. And he sat Paul down and he taught
him The law came by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus
Christ. The law damned, Christ pardoned. The law killed, Christ made alive. Verse 17, he said, neither went
I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me, but
I went into Arabia and returned again unto Damascus. Then after
three years, I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter and abode with him
15 days. And I thought so much about that
meeting they had. Can you imagine the encouragement
that both men were to each other? Paul listening to an apostle
before him, Peter hearing how Paul had seen his Lord. That
meeting took place about five years after the Lord ascended
and I am sure Peter had doubts and fears if the Lord would return
and hearing that this man was called up to the third heaven.
and heard things unspeakable." It had to bring such encouragement
to Peter, to both of them. But verse 19 says, "'Other of
the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother. Now
the things which I write unto you, behold, before God I lie
not.' Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia,
and was unknown by face unto the churches of Judea which were
in Christ, but they had heard only that he which persecuted
us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed."
The Apostle Paul was what some would call a trophy of God's
grace. And every sinner is. Every sinner is. But is it not
so precious? when one who is so openly, arrogantly,
blasphemously against the grace of God in Christ, an absolute
hater of the true and living God, is it not glorious to see
God take a sinner like that and break him? Oh Lord, break us,
break our hearts, break our knees, break our will, make us beg Christ
for mercy. That's the evidence that mercy
has been shown. That's the most glorious thing
that any sinner could see this side of heaven, is a broken heart
to beg for mercy from Christ. All who beg for mercy will receive
mercy. That's the truth. All who beg
to be washed in the blood of the Lamb have been washed in
the blood of the Lamb. That begging is the evidence.
That begging is the faith. And so they said in verse 23,
they heard that he which persecuted us in times past is now preaching
the faith which once he destroyed. And verse 24 says, they glorified
God in me. They glorified God for what he
had done. They said only God can do this.
And that's the truth. When it comes to salvation, only
God can do this. We can't make a decision to be
saved. We can't perform any work that
will recommend us to God and save our souls. Only God can
do this. When is a sinner going to be
saved? The answer is when it pleases God to reveal His Son
in that sinner. To reveal to that sinner that
Christ came and shed His blood to pay for the sins of that sinner
and redeem him back to God. That's when it'll happen. And
once it happens, that sinner will glorify God. Glorify God. To God be the glory. Great things
He has done. 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 kingsportsovereigngracechurch.com. 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 10.45 a.m. and 6 o'clock p.m.,
Wednesday evening at 7.30 p.m. Please tune in next Sunday morning
at 8.30 for another message of God's free and sovereign grace.