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. In Isaiah 55, verse 6 says, Seek
ye the Lord while he may be found. Call ye upon him while he is
near. Let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts. And let him return unto the Lord,
and he will have mercy upon him. And to our God, for he will abundantly
pardon." I have titled this message, True
Seekers. True Seekers. I want to be a
true seeker. Seek ye the Lord. Back two chapters
in Isaiah 53, Isaiah declared the mercy of
God through a Savior, a substitute. Verse 3 says, he is despised
and rejected of men. a man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief, and we hid, as it were, our faces from him. He
was despised and we esteemed him not. Verse four says, surely
he hath borne our griefs. He carried our sorrows. Verse five says, he was wounded
for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. Verse six says, all we like sheep
have gone astray, we've turned everyone to his own way, and
the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed,
he was afflicted, yet he opened on his mouth. Verse eight says,
he was taken from prison and from judgment. Verse 10 says,
yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. It pleased the Lord to bruise
him. Verse 11, he shall see the travail
of his soul and shall be satisfied. By his knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many for he shall bear their iniquities. The mercy of God through a Savior. Isaiah 54 tells us how absolutely
certain God's mercies are. Certain, they're ordered and
sure. Verse 10 in Isaiah 54 says, for
the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my
kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant
of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. Verse 17 says, no weapon that
is formed against thee shall prosper, and every tongue that
shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the
heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness
is of me, saith the Lord. Our God says, I'm giving my word. I give you my word. Isaiah 55
says that God's sure mercy, His mercy through a Savior, is for
anyone who needs it. Anyone? Wait a minute. Anyone?
I thought you believed in election. I do. Isaiah 55 verse 1 says,
Ho, everyone that thirsteth. come ye to the waters. And he
that hath no money, come ye buy and eat. Yea, come buy wine and
milk without money and without price. God's mercy is to be proclaimed
to every sinner on this earth. Our Lord said, go ye into all
the world and preach the gospel to every creature. We're commanded. We are commanded to declare God's
mercy in Christ to every soul on this earth. But here's the problem for most
every soul on this earth. They're not interested. They're just not interested.
And but for the grace of God, neither would we be. The problem
for most every soul on this earth is they're not thirsty. They have no need of God, no
need of mercy. And but for the grace of God,
that would be us. Other things, taken with other
things. Verse two says, why do you spend
money for that which is not Christ? Wherefore do you spend money
for that which is not bread? That's talking to me. Our Lord
said, I am the living bread. He that comes to me will never
hunger again. Never again. Why are you spending
money on things that cannot satisfy? You know, people say time is
money. Why do men and women spend what little time they have, what
very little time they have on this earth, why do they spend
their efforts and their energy on things that cannot satisfy? Why are people pursuing dead
religion? Can't they see it's dead? It
won't satisfy. Salvation by works will never
satisfy. You'll never be able to stop
doing, never. You'll never do enough, never.
Verse two says, wherefore do you spend money for that which
is not bread, and your labor for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me. God is saying, listen to me. Verse 2 says, eat ye that which
is good. Well, there's none good but God. That's right. Feed on Christ. Feed on Christ and let your soul
delight itself in fatness. What he's saying is, feed on
Christ and your soul will rest. you'll find rest. You'll rest from searching for
a righteousness. You will have found it in Christ. You'll rest from struggling over
your sin. You'll rest. If your soul is
hungry for God himself, if your soul is thirsty for Christ himself,
Then he says in verse 3, incline your ear and come unto me. That is His call. That is the
call that goes forth. Turn over to John chapter 5. If you're following along with
me, let's go to John chapter 5. The mercy of God in Christ
is to be proclaimed to every sinner on this earth. But verse
40 says, concerning every sinner on this earth, you will not come to me that
you might have life. That's what our Lord said. Not
interested. Not interested. And even if they
were, they could not come. Will not, cannot. cannot come. In John chapter
6 verse 44 says, No man can come to me, except the Father which
hath sent me draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day.
Does the Father have to draw a sinner? Does He have to? No. Will He draw every single
sinner? No. Well, if He draws me, what makes
me to differ? Here's the answer. It's only
the mercy and grace of God. That's the mercy and the grace
of God. He sends out His effectual call
and He draws His own. John chapter 10 verse 27 says,
my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. My sheep hear my voice, and I
know them, and they follow me. Now look back at our text in
Isaiah 55, verse three, here is his call.
He said, incline your ear and come unto me. Here and your soul
shall live. And I will make an everlasting
covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Incline your ear and come unto
me. Neither one of those commandments
are a work. Neither one. Incline your ear. That's something anybody can
do. Anybody. It does not matter how old, how
young, how rich, how poor. Anybody can incline their ear. And it's not a work. You can
incline your ear while you are reclining your body. You can
lay back in a lazy boy recliner and incline your ear. He said,
come unto me. Come to Christ. Well, how do I do that? How do
I do that? Where is he? The only way a sinner can come
to Christ is if he doesn't move a muscle. That's the only way. If he moves a muscle, he cannot
come to Christ. Ephesians 2 says, By grace are
you saved, not of works, lest any man should boast. It's not
of works. It's not of moving a muscle.
It's not of doing anything. It's by grace. Over in Jeremiah chapter 29,
verse 13 says, you shall seek me and find me when you shall
search for me with all your heart. With all your heart. He said it's with your heart. Proverbs chapter 4 verse 23 says,
keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues
of life, not the hands, the heart. Many people have been hired to
do a job with their hands, not with their heart. It's not a
work. He didn't say the feet, He said
the heart. He didn't say the mind, He said
the heart. The difference is life and death. In searching this word with the
mind and with the heart. Out of the heart are the issues
of life. This call has everything to do with the heart. Now I want
to read you an article that was written years ago. Years ago. It's titled, The Difference Between
Preaching Christ and Preaching About Christ. And there is a
difference. It says, I can appreciate the
ability of the learned botanist to give me the scientific name
of a rose, the origin of it, the various types of roses, how
and where they grow, and the number of petals, thorns, and
leaves to expect on a genuine rose. But too often, those who
become overly entangled in these things somehow lose the most
important things, the beauty and the fragrance of the rose. I hope in our teaching, preaching,
and witnessing concerning the gospel of our dear Savior, we
do not become more concerned with the system more than the
sweetness, with the mechanics rather than the mercy, with the
right terminology rather than the right spirit and attitude. You will soon weary my head if
you do not warm my heart. While I am eager to learn more
of how, why, and when I came to Christ, I would like to rejoice
and enjoy my relationship with Him now. He is my Rose of Sharon,
which brightens my life and sends His sweet fragrance through my
soul. One can preach about Christ and
not preach Christ, just as we can know how God saves sinners
and not be a saved sinner. Oh, the wonder of it all, just
to think that Christ loves me. This thing is of the heart. It's
of the heart. In Isaiah chapter 55, our Lord
said in verse 3, incline your ear and come unto me. Come to me. That's how you know
the call of Christ. He does not say, come to religion. He does not say, come to the
law. He does not say, come to any
man. He says, come to me. Come to
me and your soul shall live. Eternal life is in Christ. It's
in Him. It's in Him. It's not in obeying
God's law. Oh, I wish people could understand
this. It is not in obeying God's law. It's in Christ. Should we obey God's law? Absolutely. We're commanded to. But obeying
God's law will not lead to eternal life. Eternal life is in Christ. All of the covenant and all of
the mercies and all of the blessings of God are in Christ. In Him dwells all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. Verse three, he said, incline
your ear and come unto me. Here and your soul shall live. And I will make an everlasting
covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. What are some
of the mercies in that covenant? He said, I'm gonna be your God.
You're gonna be my people. He said, I will forgive your
iniquity. I'll remember your sin no more.
He said, I will not turn away from you. I'll never leave you,
I'll never forsake you. Verse four, he said, behold,
I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander
to the people. Christ is our witness. We have
a gospel witness. What is it? It's Christ. We witness that Christ is our
leader. Christ is our commander. Christ
is our king. Verse five says, behold, thou
shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that
knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy
God, and for the Holy One of Israel, for he hath glorified
thee. He's going to call nations that
have no idea who He is. It's that way every time. And
they're going to willingly run to Him. Because they're going
to be made willing. That's why. They're going to
be made willing in the day of His power. And He's going to
do every bit of that for the glory of God His Father. Over
in Isaiah 65 verse 1, He said, I am salt of them that asked
not for Me. I am found of them that sought
me not. I said, behold me, behold me
unto a nation that was not called by my name. I did it. I did it. So now with all that
in mind, knowing that no sinner will naturally thirst for God,
knowing that no sinner will spend his money, his all on the bread
of life, His desires for everything that satisfieth not. Knowing
that God must call His own, He must make them willing in the
day of His power. Knowing that He must start the
work, perform the work, and finish the work, He says back in our
text, Seek ye the Lord while He may be found. Call ye upon
Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord,
and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly
pardon." God causes His people to become seekers. Every one
of them. Every sinner that God the Father
chose And every sinner that Christ redeemed and every sinner that
the Spirit calls becomes a seeker. Every one of them. So this is
what I want to close with this morning. What is a true seeker? What is a true seeker? And here's
my question. Am I a true seeker? Am I? I want us to look at these
two verses And I want us to examine ourselves in this. I want to
ask some questions and I want to find out for myself. I want
to find out in my own heart, am I a true seeker? Verse six, our Lord said, seek
ye. Now let's all ask ourselves in
the heart this question. Is this personal to me? Is this personal to me? Am I just a member of a congregation
or am I a personal seeker? Am I satisfied with the congregation
following Christ or must I follow Christ? He said, seek ye. Verse six, he said, seek ye the
Lord. Now let's ask this question,
is Christ enough? Am I seeking feelings? Am I seeking entertainment? Am I seeking an education? Or am I seeking the Lord himself?
Am I looking for him? He said, where two or three are
gathered in my name, I'll be in the midst of them. Am I seeking
religion? Am I seeking an eased conscience?
Am I seeking a show of morality? Or am I seeking Him? Is Christ
enough? Is Christ all? If you're a true seeker, He is.
He said, seek ye the Lord. Verse six says, seek ye the Lord
while he may be found. Now let's ask this question.
Is this urgent to me? Is this urgent to me? Or am I okay with seeking when
it's convenient? When nothing else is going on,
does it strike fear into me that we're not promised tomorrow?
Is my heart burdened by the fact, serious about the fact, that
today is the day of salvation? Or is truly being a seeker of
Christ something I can put off till tomorrow? He said, seek
ye the Lord while he may be found. A true seeker cannot put him
off, cannot. Verse six says, seek ye the Lord
while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. Ask yourself this, do I deserve
his favor or must I cry out for it? Must I beg? Do I assume on his favor or must
I beg? Must I beg Him for it? Do I know
that I'm lacking? Do I know that He's passing by
and He does not have to stop? Do I see myself in the same condition
blind Bartimaeus was in? Lord Jesus, Thou Son of David,
have mercy on me. Have mercy on me. He said, call
ye upon Him while He is near. That's what a true seeker will
do, a true beggar. Verse seven says, let the wicked
forsake his way. Now it's fairly easy for all
of us to acknowledge that we're wicked. All of us, we're sinners. But here's the question I want
each one of us to ask ourselves deep in the heart. Am I willing
to forsake my way? Everything I've ever known, everything
I've ever believed, everything I was ever taught, am I willing
to become emptied? Emptied by God? He does it to
every seeker. He empties every seeker. There is a way that seems right
to man, a way of salvation, a way of acceptance. But the end of
that way every time is destruction. Man has it wrong every time. Look right here at verse 8 in
Isaiah 55. Our Lord said, For my thoughts
are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith
the Lord. For as the heavens are higher
than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my
thoughts than your thoughts. Ask yourself in the heart, has
God put a desire in me to forsake my way and cling to his? Cling to the way, which is Christ
himself. True seekers seek his way, not
their own. Verse 7 says, let the wicked
forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts, his own thoughts. Is everything about me filthy
rags? Not just sinners, me. Is everything about me that brings
pride to my flesh, all my qualities, all my accomplishments? After
seeing Christ, do I count them all dung? A true seeker does. He's not seeking his own glory,
he's seeking God's glory. He's not seeking his own accomplishments,
he's seeking Christ's accomplishments. Verse 7 says, let the wicked
forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him
return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him. Do I need mercy? Not just sinners,
me. True seekers do. They do. So here's a word for all true
seekers. If you are a seeker, keep seeking. Keep seeking the Lord. Do it today. Do it right now. Fall on your knees and beg. forsake everything you are, everything
you thought, and turn to the Lord for mercy. And the end of
verse seven says, he will abundantly pardon. All who seek in this
way find. And the reason is because God
made them seek in the first place. Lord, make us all true seekers. Until next Sunday morning, 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.