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 have a very important message
for you this morning. A very serious message. It's
a message on eternal life or eternal death. In Acts chapter
12, this is where our text will be this morning, we're going
to see two men and we're going to see God move on these two
men. In one man, the work of God is
unto life. And in the other man, the work
of God or the hand of God is unto death. What I want us to
see is what makes the difference? Eternal life or eternal death?
What makes the difference? I want to read a few verses of
Scripture so we can understand this story. Acts chapter 12 verse
1 says, Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his
hand to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother
of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased
the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. Then were
the days of unleavened bread. And when he had apprehended him,
he put him in prison and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers
to keep him, intending after Easter to bring him forth to
the people. So Herod, has imprisoned Peter
and he has stationed 16 soldiers to guard him, four Quaternions. Verse 5 says, Peter therefore
was kept in prison, but prayer was made without ceasing of the
church unto God for him. And when Herod would have brought
him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers,
bound with two chains, And the keepers before the door kept
the prison. And behold, the angel of the
Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison. And he
smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise
up quickly, and his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel
said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And
so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy
garment about thee, and follow me. And he went out, and followed
him, and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel,
but thought he saw a vision. When they were past the first
and second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto
the city, which opened to them of his own accord. And they went
out and passed on through the street, and forthwith the angel
departed from him." So Peter was laying there between two
soldiers, he was bound with two chains, and God sent his angel
in, his messenger in. And he set him free. The chains
were loosed. And he said, you follow me. He
shined a light in the prison, it says. And he led Peter out
and the doors opened on their own. And they went out. Verse
11 says, And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know
of a surety that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered
me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation
of the people of the Jews. And when he had considered the
thing, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John, whose
surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying.
And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to
hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter's voice,
she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in and told how Peter
stood before the gate. And they said unto her, Thou
art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said
they, It is his angel. But Peter continued knocking,
and when they had opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. but he beckoning unto them with
the hand to hold their peace declared unto them how the Lord
had brought him out of the prison and he said go show these things
unto James and to the brethren and he departed and went into
another place." Now in this story we see God delivering his own. He delivered Peter from prison
physically. And what that represents is our
God going into the prison of the heart, the sinful prison
of the heart, and leading his own child to freedom. Setting
his child free. He shines the light of Christ
in there. He shows the prisoner of sin
that Christ is all. Salvation is totally in Christ.
It's all about Christ. And then he smites that sinner.
Just like that angel smoked Peter and woke him up, he smites that
sinner over his sin. But then in the gospel, through
the grace of the gospel of Christ and everything Christ has done,
he raises that center up and he says, follow me. This is how
our Lord leads captivity captive. How God takes his child out of
the clutches of the adversary. That's who Herod is, the adversary.
And he sets him free by making him a servant of Christ. Paul
said in 1 Corinthians 7, for he that is called in the Lord,
being a servant, is the Lord's free man. Free. Free. If we have been made servants
of Christ our King, then we are free men and women. We're free.
Every sinner who is a chosen child of God goes through this
miraculous deliverance. Every single one. Now verse 18
says, as soon as it was day, as soon as it was day, the long
night is past, the morning breaks at last. Day. Verse 18, as soon as it was day,
there was no small stir among the soldiers what was become
of Peter. Those two soldiers that were
inside the cell with Peter, holding him on both sides. They represent
God's law and God's justice. That's what's guarding a sinner
on both sides, God's law. That's why sinners are bound.
They're bound because of the law which convicts them of their
sin. And God's justice, what's waiting
on them in His judgment, the penalty for breaking that law. Those two soldiers both started
saying, where is our sinner? There was no small stir. They
went looking for Him. They went looking for Him. Where
is the transgressor? And that's what happens to every
child of God spiritually when God sets him free. I want to
show you one of the most precious verses of Scripture you'll ever
read. Turn with me over to Jeremiah
chapter 50. Jeremiah 50 verse 20 says, In those days, and at that time,
saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel, the sin of Israel,
shall be sought for, and there shall be none. And the sins of
Judah, and they shall not be found, for I will pardon them. Whom I reserve. Pardon means
set free. I'll set them free. Whom I reserve. That means choose. The word means
a remnant. Those soldiers who were inside
the cell with Peter, they started looking for him and they couldn't
find him. No transgressor. Why? Christ pardoned him, that's why.
Christ set him free. How does Christ set a sinner
free? He did it in his own blood. He bore the sin of the sinner
in his own body. And he died, he shed his own
blood to pay for that sin and now it's gone. It's gone. Back in our text, those soldiers
weren't the only ones looking for Peter. Acts chapter 12 verse
19 says, And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, the
adversary himself, he went looking. He knows when a child of God
has been freed from his clutches, he knows. He went looking for
Peter, but he couldn't find him. Why not? David said, for in the
time of trouble he shall hide me. He's going to hide me in
his pavilion. In the secret of his tabernacle
shall he hide me. He shall set me up upon a rock. Isn't that wonderful? That pavilion
is Christ. That secret place is Christ. That rock is Christ. It's all Christ. God delivers
His child and then He hides Him in Christ. And that child is
safe. Safe and secure from all alarms. Safe. Look at Psalm 91 with me. Psalm 91 verse 1 says, He that
dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide
under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is
my refuge and my fortress. My God, in Him will I trust. Surely He shall deliver thee
from the snare of the fowler and from the noisome pestilence.
He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings
shalt thou trust. His truth shall be thy shield
and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for
the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flyeth by day,
nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor for the destruction
that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy
side, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not
come nigh thee. only with thine eyes shalt thou
behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast
made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most high thy habitation,
there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come
nigh thy dwelling." Is that not wonderful? There's an old song
that says, Under His wings, oh, what precious enjoyment! There
will I hide till life's trials are over. Sheltered, protected,
no evil can harm me. Resting in the Lord Jesus, I'm
safe evermore. Under His wings, under His wings,
who from His love can sever? Under His wings, my soul shall
abide, safely abide forever. Herod sought for Peter, but he
couldn't find him. Couldn't find him. He was hiding. Hiding. Christ hid him. Christ hid him. Back in Acts
chapter 12 verse 18 says, Now as soon as it was day, there
was no small stir among the soldiers what was become of Peter. And
when Herod had sought for him and found him not, he examined
the keepers, and commanded that they should be put to death.
And he went down from Judea to Caesarea and their abode. All
16 of those men were put to death. And that's the only end for our
adversary and his army. Death. Death. It's also the end of the penalty
of the law. It's the end. The Apostle Paul
wrote in Romans chapter 7, wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become
dead to the law by the body of Christ. Dead to the law by the
body of Christ. If you know the truth, Christ
said, I am the truth. If you know the truth, the truth
will make you free. He will make you free. Now, that's
God's work to Peter. That's God's hand to Peter. There's
a contrast to this story. At the end of this chapter here,
Herod represents our adversary, but he also represents every
man and woman who is outside of Jesus Christ. Peter was in
Christ, hiding in thee. He was in Christ. He was delivered
by Christ, through Christ. He was in Christ. But every man
and woman who is outside of Jesus Christ. Verse 20, Acts chapter
12 says, And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre
and Sidon. But they came with one accord
to him, and having made Blastus the king's chamberlain their
friend, desired peace. because their country was nourished
by the king's country. And upon a set day Herod, arrayed
in royal apparel, sat upon his throne and made an oration unto
them. And the people gave a shout,
saying, It is the voice of a God and not of a man. And immediately
the angel of the Lord smote him, Because he gave not God thee
glory, and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost. He was
arrayed in his own royal apparel, the pride of man. He wasn't in
Christ, he was in his own pride. Thinking himself something when
he's nothing. Nothing. Now I want us to really
take note of something. I want us to really see this.
The Lord sent an angel to Peter. The Lord sent an angel to Herod. The Lord smote Peter. The Lord smote Herod. Through that smiting, God delivered
Peter. Through that smiting, God killed
Herod. Now what makes the difference? What makes the difference? The
same word that smites the child of God, smites the enemy of God. The same word that breaks the
child of God, breaks the enemy of God. The same Word that is
a saver of life unto life to the child of God. That same Word
is a saver of death unto death to the enemy of God. The same
Word. The same Word. There are men
all over the place preaching what they believe is the Word.
One man can stand up and preach what he believes is the Word
of God and it can be to His damnation and the damnation of all who
hear Him. Another man can stand up and
preach what he believes with all of his heart is the Word
of God and it can be unto His eternal life and the eternal
life of all who hear Him, truly hear Him. What makes the difference? What makes the difference? all these churches, all these
preachers. Some are preaching life. Some
are preaching death. And we need to know the answer
to this because this is serious. What makes the difference? Here's the answer. Who is getting the glory? That's the answer. The next time
you hear a man stand up and preach, the next time you hear a man
preach on this radio station, start it right now. You start
it with this man right here, right now. The Word of God says,
try the spirits whether they are of God. Every time you hear
a man stand up behind a pulpit and preach, ask yourself this
question, Who is getting the glory? There is such a defined
line between the truth and a lie. And that defined line is this.
Who is getting the glory? If Christ gets all the glory,
it's the truth. If man gets any of the glory,
it's a lie. Peter, we read it, Peter beckoned
with his hand. They were all making over Peter
and he beckoned with his hand and he said, the Lord hath brought
me out of prison. Herod stood up in his own garments
and he gladly took the glory for himself. They said that's
the voice of a God. Now, I heard a man preach from
this text not long ago, and it did not take very long
for me to realize that this man has no idea what the gospel is.
This man was not a true God-sent preacher. He had no idea who
God really is. He definitely had no idea who
man and what man really is. And he had no idea what Christ
has done, what Christ has accomplished. From this text, here was the
point of his sermon. This is what he was trying to
get across. Here was his question. Are we glorifying God with our
lives? That was his sermon. Are we glorifying
God with our lives? I'll tell you this. A man who
believes that he is, is a man who's about to be eaten by worms.
And I say this with sadness. I don't say this with anger.
I don't. I don't say this with anger.
I say this with absolute sadness. What an ignorant question. What an ignorant of the Word
of God question. I promise you, the answer is
no. Are we glorifying God with our lives? No. Look at us. Look at our flesh. Don't you
think we ought to be honest? We're going to go meet God. Don't you believe it's time to
be honest? Here's a man who's telling the
truth. Listen to this quote. Here's an old, old preacher.
A true God-sent preacher. This is what he said. I cannot
pray, but I sin. I cannot hear or preach a sermon,
but I sin. I cannot give an alms or receive
the sacrament, but I sin. Nay, I cannot so much as confess
my sins, but my very confessions are still aggravations of them.
My repentance needs to be repented of, my tears need washing, and
the very washing of my tears needs still to be washed over
again with the blood of my Redeemer. That man's telling the truth.
That's a man right there who's telling us the truth. You know
how I know that? He's giving all the glory to
God. All of it. How can we give all
the glory to God? This verse of Scripture tells
us that we must give all the glory to God. So how do we do
that? Here's how. by praising God for
stripping the glory from us. That's how. Our Lord said, deny
yourself, take up your cross and follow me. A person hears that and says,
okay, well then that's just what I'm gonna do. I'll tell you what
I'll do. I'm gonna deny myself, take up my cross and follow me.
That's what I'm gonna do. Well, if that's the case, then
you're not going to give God the glory, are you? He said,
deny yourself. I can't. I can't deny myself. My flesh cannot deny itself. You try to deny your flesh. Try to. Old people can refrain
from a couple of things. They can refrain from eating
a couple of things, drinking a couple of things, saying a
couple of things. But you try to deny your flesh
in the mind. You try to deny your flesh in
the heart. My flesh feeds on myself. It thrives by indulging itself
in my own sin, my own self. If I could deny myself, I would,
but I just can't. Lord, if you don't cause me to
deny myself, I never will. You must do it. He said, take
up your cross. I can't. I'm dead. I have no ability in me. Men
say things like, God has no hands but your hands. That is not true.
The truth is, I have no hands but God's hands. Lord, if you
don't take up my cross, it will never be taken up. Lord, I'm
looking to you. I'm waiting on you. I'm trusting
in you. Otherwise, I'm going to be eaten
by worms." He said, follow me. I can't. Lord, I will never come to you
if you don't draw me. I'm dead, I'm blind, I'm deaf,
I'm dumb, I'm lame, and you are my only hope. You're my only
hope. Do we who truly believe God's
Word and truly worship Him, do we have any problem with the
fact that God has stripped us of all the glory and given it
all to Jesus Christ? Not at all. We praise God for
that, don't we? The song says, We praise Thee,
O God, for the Son of Thy love, for the Lord Jesus who died and
is now gone above. Hallelujah, Thine the glory. Who gets the glory in salvation? Christ does. I am what I am by
the grace of God. Who gets the glory in faith? Christ does. He gives it. It's
His faith. I believe what I believe by the
grace of God. Who gets the glory in giving
God the glory? Christ does. I wouldn't give
it if He didn't make me. I preach what I preach by the
grace of God. Christ gets it all. Christ gets
it all. And watch this, how this chapter
ends. Verse 23 says, Immediately the angel of the Lord smote him,
because he gave not God the glory. And he was eaten of worms, and
gave up the ghost. But the word of God grew and
multiplied. And Barnabas and Saul returned
from Jerusalem, when they'd fulfilled their ministry, and took with
them John, whose surname was Mark. Do you know what a believer's
greatest desire is? It's that the Word of God would
grow and multiply. Grow and multiply in my own heart. Grow and multiply in the city
where it's preached. Lord, be merciful. Be merciful. When they had fulfilled their
ministry, I pray that If the Lord allows me to continue in
His ministry, it might be said that the Word of God grew and
multiplied. Not just the people. We do want
God to call out sheep, but we want Christ and His Word to receive
all the glory, to grow and to multiply. If He would be so kind
and so willing to open our eyes to this truth and bless it to
our hearts, make it grow, we would give Him all the glory
for it. Until next Sunday, 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 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.