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. When the Lord of glory gives
a command, the God of heaven, when He gives
a command, His people, His followers, those that he has caused to believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, believers. When he gives a command, those
believers have a heart to obey that command. We want to obey him, don't we? We want to obey him. Well, our Lord has given us a
command this morning in Luke chapter 15. I invite you to turn with me
over to Luke 15 and let's read this together. His command is
in verse six. It says, and when he cometh home,
he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them,
rejoice with me. Rejoice with me. That's his command. Rejoice with me. Philippians
4 verse 4 says, rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say,
rejoice. Rejoice. God's people rejoice. Why? Our Lord says in verse 6,
for I, have found my sheep which was lost. Lost. Be happy. Be cheerful. Celebrate with me. Verse seven says, I say unto
you that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that
repenteth. absolute joy in heaven among
the angels, the whole host of heaven over one sinner that repenteth. Inside the pages of this book
is the best news a sinner has ever heard in his life. Inside the pages of this book.
If a man or a woman is a true sinner, he's gonna find the best
news and she's gonna find the best news that they've ever heard
in their life. If you are a sinner this morning,
like I am, if you are a sinner this morning, then rejoice with
me. Rejoice with me. Look at verse
one here in Luke chapter 15. It says, then drew near unto
him, that's our Lord, then drew near unto him all the publicans
and sinners for to hear him. They all came to hear him. They
all drew near. Do you know who will come for
bread? If you have bread, do you know
who will come for it? Not the full. The hungry will. A man who's
full, he's not coming. But the hungry will come. Do
you know who will come for water? Not the satisfied, the thirsting. Do you know who will come for
help? Not the strong, the weak. Do you know who will come to
Christ? Not the righteous, not the self-righteous, but sinners
will. Sinners will. Verse 1 says, Then
drew near unto Him all the publicans and sinners for to hear Him. This message, this gospel, is
for publicans and sinners. That's who it's for. This radio
broadcast this morning, this is for publicans and sinners
specifically. The Christ of this scripture
is for publicans and sinners. He came for publicans and sinners. Verse one says, then drew near
unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. They were drawn to him. And the reason they came was
to hear him. They wanted to hear him. They needed to hear him. What were they hearing? They were hearing words of life. That's what they were hearing,
beautiful words, wonderful words. They all came saying, sing them
over again to me. I need to hear this again. Would
you tell me that again? Well, what were the words? What were they hearing? Look
at verse two. And the Pharisees and scribes
murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners. This man receiveth sinners. This man? Are you serious? This man? This man that was born
king, the king of the universe? This man that astounded the scholars
with his wisdom at the age of 12 in the temple? This man? This man that heals the blind? Heals the sick? This man that
feeds thousands with a couple of fish and a few loaves of bread? This man that raises the dead? This man? Yes. This man receiveth sinners. Verse 2 says, and eateth with
them. He eats with them. This man doesn't
only receive sinners, he's the friend of sinners. He has dinner with them. He communes
with them. There's a song that says, He
walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own. I'm His own. Oh, if a sinner
ever hears that. a sinner who's miserable, a sinner
who feels guilty, a sinner who feels so lost over his sins,
if he ever hears the voice of his Savior say, you are my own, he'll come back to hear that
again. Turn with me over to Exodus chapter 33. Exodus 33 verse eight
says, it came to pass when Moses went out of the tabernacle
that all the people rose up and stood every man at his tent door
and looked after Moses until he was gone into the tabernacle.
And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle,
the cloudy pillar descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle.
And the Lord talked with Moses. And all the people saw the cloudy
pillar stand at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose
up and worshipped every man in his tent door. And the Lord spake
unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend." His friend, isn't that something?
The Lord, Jehovah, God Almighty descended down in this cloudy
pillar. He stood at the tabernacle door
and he spoke with Moses face to face as a man speaks with
his friend. Look at Isaiah 41. Isaiah 41
verse 8 says, But thou, Israel, art my servant. whom I have chosen, the seed
of Abraham, my friend, my friend. Verse 10, the Lord said, fear
thou not for I'm with thee. Be not dismayed for I am thy
God. I will strengthen thee, yea,
I will help thee. Yea, I will uphold thee with
the right hand of my righteousness. Behold, all they that were incensed
against thee shall be ashamed and confounded. They shall be
as nothing. And they that strive with thee
shall perish. Thou shalt seek them and shalt
not find them. They that contend with thee,
they that war against thee, shall be as nothing and as a thing
of naught. For I, the Lord thy God, will
hold thy right hand. saying unto thee, fear not, I'll
help thee. Fear not, thou worm, Jacob, and
ye men of Israel, I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy
Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. I'll help you. I'll hold your
right hand. All the publicans and sinners
drew near to him to hear him. Oh, tell me that again. Tell
me that again. There's a song that says, Sing
it o'er and o'er again. That song says, Sinners, Jesus
will receive. Sound this word of grace to all. All who the heavenly pathway
leave. All who linger. All who fall. Come and He will give you rest. Trust Him for His Word is plain. He will take the sinfulest. Christ
receiveth sinful men. Now my heart condemns me not. Pure before the law I stand. He who cleansed me from all spot
satisfied its last demand. Christ receiveth sinful men. even me with all my sin, purged
from every spot and stain, heaven with him I enter in." You know
what every sinner will say who hears that? Sing it o'er and
o'er again. Tell it to me again. Christ receiveth
sinful men. Make the message clear and plain. Christ receiveth sinful men. Is that clear enough? Is that
plain enough? Christ receiveth sinful men. Oh, that's good news to this
sinner. Is that good news to you? Turn with me back to Luke
15. Verse 1 says, Then drew near
unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And
the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners,
and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto
them." Our Lord preached the gospel. This is our gospel right
here. What our Lord said, this is our
gospel right here. Verse 3, He spake this parable
unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep,
if he lose one of them? And I can just go ahead and tell
us all, we're the one that was lost. We are the one that was lost.
I was lost. You were lost. All of us were
lost. And we weren't just misplaced
for a short time. Not lost like the average person
thinks. Sometimes we look up these words
in the Bible dictionary and the word lose right here, it says
if he lose one of them, that word means to destroy fully. It means to perish. It means
to die. It means ruined. That's what
it means, ruined. That's me. And that's you. Ruined. Separated. Lost. Lost. We just read where that song
said, who the heavenly pathway leave. Leave. when man sinned in that garden
and left that heavenly pathway. Man didn't just become lost,
man became fully destroyed, dead, totally separated from God, ruined. That's what happened. No ability
to find his way back. And if he could find his way
back, he couldn't be joined to God again. He became infected
with sin. That can't be in the presence
of God. Peter wrote that all of the things
that God has done pertaining to man, he said the angels desire
to look into them. They're curious about these things.
Can you imagine what the reaction was among the angels, among the
host of glory when man sinned. Can you imagine that reaction? God created light and it was
good. And He made the heavens and He
made the ocean and He made the grass and the trees and the plants
and it was so beautiful and so good. And He made the sun and
the moon and the stars and the galaxies and the solar systems
and it was so perfect, every bit of it. And He made fish and
He made whales and He made cattle and birds. And God said, let
us make man. And the angels noticed when God
made man. He's made in the image of God.
Man is made in the likeness of God. And God breathed life into man. And he became a living soul. And God made woman for man and
they became one. And everything was so good and
so perfect and all of the sudden, man sinned against God. And the
angels and all the host of heaven cried, no! Man is now dead. Man has become ruined, defiled,
severed from God Almighty. There's no hope for man. Then Jesus Christ stood up from
His throne. The angels looking at Him wondering,
what is He going to do? The angels desire to look into
these things. And Jesus Christ said, I am going
to seek and to save that which was lost. ruined, separated,
destroyed. There's a song that says, as
poor, wretched sinners, no God and no hope, it seemed there
was no one to help. But God, in His mercy, salvation
supplied, emptied heaven and came down Himself, and a ransom
was found. A payment was found. Redemption
was found. Verse 4 in our text says, What
man of you having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them,
doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go
after that which is lost, fully destroyed, dead, ruined, Until he find it Until he find
it verse 5 says and when he hath found it Not if When When he shall not fail Whatever
he seeks he finds Verse five says, when he hath found it,
he layeth it. This vile, dead, putrefying,
stinking, ruined sheep. He layeth it on his shoulders. He takes that death. He takes
that rebellion. He takes that sin. Have you ever seen a dead animal
at the height of its decomposing? Oh, the rot, the smell, the stench. Verse 5 says, When he hath found
it, he layeth it on his shoulders. He takes all of that sin, all
of that decay, and He lays it on Himself. He bears their iniquity. Isaiah said, Surely He hath borne
our griefs and carried our sorrows. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned every one to his
own way. and the Lord hath laid on him, the Lord hath laid on him the
iniquity of us all." What does that mean for us? It
means with His stripes, we are healed. As soon as the burden of that
sheep is laid on His shoulders, Revival comes. Redemption comes. He's brought back to the fold.
Riding on the shoulders of His rescuer, singing all the way,
I once was lost, now I'm found. Now I'm found. Verse 5 says,
When He hath found it, He layeth it on His shoulders rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth
together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with
me, for I, I have found my sheep, which was lost. He didn't say
my sheep came home. He didn't say that. He said,
I went and got him. I did it. I bore it all. I carried it all. Why did you do it, Lord? That
revived sheep, that must be the first question every one of them
asks. Lord, why? Why did you do it? Turn with me over to Hebrews
chapter 12 and we'll see why. Hebrews 12 verse 2, it says,
Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who
for the joy that was set before Him, for the joy that was set
before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set
down at the right hand of the throne of God. He did it to rejoice. He did it for His rejoicing. He did it for our rejoicing. And now He says to everything
that hath breath, this is His command. This is His commandment
to us this morning. This is His commandment to everything. He says, rejoice with Me. Rejoice with Me. That is eternity. That's glory. It's one great
rejoicing. Rejoice with me. Rejoice in me. Rejoice in what I've done. Back one more time to Luke 15. All of our Lord's heavenly host, all of the angels, the cherubims,
the seraphims, everything in glory, All of that heavenly host knows
that man was ruined in the fall. They know that. Man was ruined
in the fall, the great sin. And all of his host lives to
just watch the Lord work. Everything he has purposed to
do. All of that heavenly host just
desires to look into these things and see what is the great God
of heaven going to do next. They desire, they love looking
into these things. And every time the Holy Spirit
of Jesus Christ stands up from the throne and goes down into
the wilderness and walks up to a dead sheep and picks him up
and lays him on his shoulders and causes that sheep to say,
I have been found. Every time revival comes to a
dead sheep, every time repentance comes to a dead sheep, I was
dead, now I'm alive. I was blind, now I see. I was
lost, now I'm found. Every time God's Spirit causes
a sheep to say, I have been found, riding home on the shoulders
of his Savior, smiling, singing, laughing, I've been found. Oh,
I've been found. He found me. Every time that
happens, heaven erupts. heaven erupts, just like whenever
the Savior came and set foot on this earth, the heavenly host
erupted with joy, crying, glory to God in the highest. The victory
belongs to the Lord. He's led captivity captive. Look
at verse 10 here in Luke 15, it says, likewise I say unto
you, There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one
sinner that repenteth. Every time it happens. When our
Lord redeems His sheep, saves His sheep, opens the eyes of
His fallen sheep, He does it individually. And every single
time it happens, heaven erupts with joy. Joy over the Savior. Joy for the sheep. It's absolute glory, absolute
happiness. Lord, would you come and save
us? Would you create rejoicing in
heaven and rejoicing in us? Would you be merciful to us?
Lord, cause our hearts to hear you say, put life in us so that
we might hear you say, rejoice with me and then cause us to
rejoice. Until next Sunday morning, may
our 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.