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 John chapter 7, our Lord was
at the Feast of Tabernacles. And verse 37 says, In the last
day, that great day of the Feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying,
If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth
on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall
flow rivers of living water." Then verse 40 says, Many of the
people, therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a
truth this is the prophet. of a truth, this is the prophet. Just like many had said before.
Just like many say now. But the end of this chapter right
here, verse 53 says, every man went unto his own house. They all left our Lord. Our Lord stood up And he gave
this blessed declaration, if any man thirst, let him come
unto me. But by the end of all this, everybody
just went home. They left him. Now here's what
I want to say about this. We can say, or others can say,
true statements about our Lord. Very true statements about our
Lord. I know an unbelieving woman who told a believing woman, I
hate your God. And then she felt bad about it.
And she wrote the believing woman a letter. And she said, at least
we can both agree that Jesus is the Son of God. Now how do you respond to that?
How do you respond when a person says, I hate your God? But here's our common ground,
at least we can both agree that Jesus is the Son of God. Over in 1 John 4, verse 15 says,
whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God
dwelleth in him and he in God. The believing woman that I know
was trying to tell this unbelieving woman about God's sovereignty.
She was trying to tell the truth about God. The truth as God has
revealed it in His own words. She was trying to tell this other
woman about God's right to be God. This is God. His right to
choose whom He will. He's God. His right to save whoever
He wants to save, and only who He wants to save. And the unbelieving
woman said, I hate that. She said, that's not my God.
I hate your God. But she said, Jesus was the Son
of God, so What does that mean? To say that Jesus is the Son
of God is not to say that He's less than God, subject to God. It's to say that He is the equal
part of the Trinity, the Son of God, God Himself. God manifest in the flesh. Here in John 7 verse 40 says,
Many of the people, therefore, when they heard this saying,
said of a truth, This is the prophet. Others said, This is
the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come
out of Galilee? Hath not the scripture said that
Christ cometh of the seed of David? and out of the town of
Bethlehem where David was. So there was a division among
the people because of him. They said, hath not the scripture
said? They could quote scripture while
they rejected Christ. Is that not horrifying? They
could quote scripture while they stood right there and rejected
Christ. They knew the Word, but they didn't know the Word Himself. They knew where He was supposed
to be born. They knew certain facts about
Him, but they didn't know Him. They didn't know Him. The Messiah
was standing right there in front of them. Couldn't see Him. They just could not see God. Lord, open our eyes that we may
see. Have mercy on us, Lord. This is life eternal that we
might know Him, not certain facts about Him. I don't need a historical
knowledge of biblical facts. I don't need that. That will
do me no good. I don't need an intellectual
knowledge of doctrine. That'll do me no good. I need
to know Him. My only hope is knowing Him,
that's it. Now they didn't know this because
they didn't know Him, but He was of the seed of David. And
He was born in Bethlehem. He did fulfill all Scripture,
He did. Verse 43 says, so there was a
division among the people because of Him. And some of them would
have taken Him, but no man laid hands on Him. Why not? The reason is because they couldn't.
Man thinks that he has a free will, but he does not. They sent
their officers to arrest Christ. They might as well have been
sending them to stop the sun from shining. This is God Almighty. This God is God. Mercy and salvation is finding
that out right now and bowing to it. That's mercy if God causes
a sinner to bow to it. A man can't bow on his own, God
has to make him bow in mercy. But salvation is bowing to the
true God of heaven right now. We are not gonna do what we wanna
do with Jesus. We're just not. We are sinners
in his hands. We are puppets on his string. Sinners hear that and say, don't
call me a puppet. I'm no man's puppet. Oh yes,
we are. We're the puppet of God Almighty.
Jesus Christ is His name. The King's heart is in His hand. Just like rivers of water, He
turns it withersoever He will. Verse 45 in the text says, then
came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they
said unto them, why have you not brought him? Now they sent
soldiers to take our Lord. This comes from verse 32. If
you look at John 7 back in verse 32, the Pharisees heard that
the people murmured such things concerning him and the Pharisees
and the chief priest sent officers to take him. So they sent these
soldiers to take him. How committed is a soldier to
his mission? How committed is a true soldier
to his mission? What is the mindset of a soldier
on a mission? Do soldiers quit? Do soldiers
come back and say, well, we couldn't find the enemy, oh well, The Pharisees and the chief priest,
they sent soldiers and they said, you find him and you take him. You do whatever is necessary
to bring him here to us. Verse 45, then came the officers
to the chief priests and Pharisees and they said unto them, why
have you not brought him? And the officers answered, never. Man spake like this man. That was their answer. No man
ever spake like this man. They hunted him, they found him,
they stormed up to him, and then they were stopped dead in their
tracks. What stopped them? His word. They said, never man speak like
this man. Never. And they literally turned
around and they went back. No sinner can stand up to his
word. No sinner. The reason is because
it's sharper than any two edged sword. I don't care how hard
the heart is in a sinner. If God sends his word to that
heart, it's gonna pierce it asunder. It's gonna break it in pieces.
It is sharper than any two-edged sword. Sinners think they can
decide when they're ready to be saved and go find Jesus and
take him for their own need and their own purpose. But here's
the truth of the matter. When sinners confront And when
they are confronted by the almighty God, it is a shocking experience. That's the truth. It's a shocking
experience. There's only one way to approach
God. And in our own will and our own
pride is not the way. That's not the way a man approaches
God. Let me prove that to you over
in John chapter 18. Turn with me to John 18. Verse
1 says, When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with
his disciples over the brook Sidron, where was a garden into
the which he entered and his disciples. And Judas also, which
betrayed him, knew the place. For Jesus oft times resorted
thither with his disciples. Judas then, having received a
band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees,
cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. Jesus
therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went
forth and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus
of Nazareth. Now, our Lord was in this place
where he resorted, this garden. And Judas has brought a mob of
men with swords and lanterns, and they're gonna take our Lord,
take the Lord of glory. And he knew what was going on.
So he went forth and he said to them, whom seek ye? Verse
five, they answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto
them, I am. And Judas also, which betrayed
him, stood with them. As soon then as he had said unto
them, I am, they went backward and fell to the ground." Every
single man that was there in that huge mob. As soon as he
said, I am, All he had to do was say two words, I am. And it knocked every single one
of them to the ground. They all fell back like trees. Do you know what they realized
at that moment in time? Do you know what every man there,
when they were confronted by the Almighty God, do you know
what they realized at that moment in time? Never man spake like
this man, never. Somebody says, at least we can
both agree that Jesus is the Son of God. No, we can't. Not in the way you're describing
Him to be, not in the way that religion today describes this
puny, weak, begging failure of a man, Jesus, who's trying to
show people how to get to God, but He's not God Himself. He's
just God's Son. No, we cannot agree that Jesus
is the Son of God. Jesus Christ is God. He is the highest, almighty God. all judgment and all authority
and the throne of glory has been given to the Son of God. Judas and those men, they walked
into a God that is unmovable. That's what happened to them
and that's what happens to every sinner who confronts God and
is confronted by God. They walk into a God who is unmovable. and after his word knocks them
down. After the word of God himself
knocked these men down, right here in John 18, verse seven
says, then asked he them again, whom seek ye? Now what think ye of Christ?
People believe they know who this man Jesus is. But if he
ever confronts them, and if his word ever knocks them down, if
his word ever pierces their heart, if they ever see the almighty
God of heaven, they're gonna realize he is nothing
like I thought he was. I thought I knew who Jesus was.
That question will be confronting them, what think ye of Christ? Now who do you say I am? Oh, he's not like I thought he
was. He's not God's son, he's the son of God. God himself. When God reveals himself to a
sinner, that sinner finds that out quickly, very quickly. Coming in my will, coming in
my pride, doing things the way I want to do them. Well, I've
decided that I'm going to accept Jesus. That's not the way to
approach God. A man who comes in his own will
and his own pride, he's going to be knocked down. He's going
to be knocked down. Now let me show you what is the
way to approach God. Go with me over to Matthew chapter
eight. Matthew chapter 8 verse 1 says,
when he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed
him. And behold, there came a leper
and worshiped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make
me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand
and touched him, saying, I will. Be thou clean. And immediately
his leprosy was cleansed. Those other men came in their
arrogance and God said, I am. This man came as a lowly beggar,
and the almighty God of heaven said, I will. I will. You know what healed that man?
The word of God. He said, I will. Be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was
cleansed. You know what that man ran around
telling everybody who would listen to him? You know what he told
them? Never man spake like this man. Never. With his word, I
was cleansed. I was cleansed. Look right here
in Matthew eight at verse five. It says, and when Jesus was entered
into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion beseeching him
and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home, sick of the palsy,
grievously tormented. and Jesus saith unto him, I will
come and heal him. The centurion answered and said,
Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof,
but speak the word only and my servant shall be healed. Speak
the word only, just speak the word. I believe that no man, no other
man, has the power and the authority and the ability in His Word that
you have. Speak the Word only. Speak the Word only, I believe.
Speak the Word only. Go with me over to Luke 7. Luke
7, verse 11, it says, And it came to pass the day after that
he went into a city called Nahan, and many of his disciples went
with him, and much people. Now when he came nigh to the
gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the
only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and much people
of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he
had compassion on her, and said unto her, weep not. And he came
and touched the coffin, and they that bear him stood still. And
he said, young man, I say unto thee, arise. And he that was
dead sat up and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.
And there came a fear on all and they glorified God saying
that a great prophet is risen up among us and that God hath
visited his people. That's what I'm saying right
now. It was God that visited us. It was God that came down. How do you know? No man ever
spake like this man. No man. I was lost, now I'm found. I was blind, now I see. I was dead, but God said live,
arise. Never man spake like this man,
never. Now let me ask you this question.
This morning, let me ask you this question. Have you heard
his voice? Never man spake like this man.
Have you heard his voice? He said, my sheep hear my voice. Have you heard his words? Somebody
might say, what does that mean? He does not speak out loud. So
what does that mean? What does it mean, have I heard
his voice? What does that mean? Ask him. Ask him. Lord, what does it mean
to hear your voice? To hear your words? Lord, speak
to me. Let me hear your voice through
your word. Open my ears, Lord, that I may
hear. Ask him. If you have heard his voice,
if you've heard his voice through his word, then listen to these
words. Luke 23, verse 42 says, and he
said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy
kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, verily
I say unto thee, today, today, shalt thou be with me in paradise. No other words can comfort the
soul like his words. No other words, they are spirit,
they are life. Now go with me back to our text
in John chapter seven. Verse 45 says, then came the
officers to the chief priest and Pharisees and they said unto
them, why have you not brought him? The officers answered, never
man, spake like this man. Then answered them the Pharisees,
are you also deceived? The Pharisees asked these soldiers,
has he deceived you? Verse 48, have any of the rulers
or of the Pharisees believed on him? They said, you don't
see any of us believing on him, do you? How could you fall for
this? Verse 49, but this people who
knoweth not the law are cursed. These simple, uneducated sinners,
these ones that he's receiving with open arms, they're all falling
into his curse. Verse 50, Nicodemus saith unto
them, he that came to Jesus by night being one of them. Doth
our law judge any man before it hear him and know what he
doeth? They answered and said unto him,
Art thou also of Galilee? Search and look, for out of Galilee
ariseth no prophet. And every man went to his own
house. Now, the glory of the end of
this chapter is this. This man Nicodemus came to our
Lord back in John chapter three. and he was so ignorant of who
God is. But the Lord, shockingly to Nicodemus, told him the truth. He said, marvel not that I say
unto thee, ye must be born again. He told him the truth. You're
dead. And he mercifully told him the gospel.
He said, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even
so must the Son of Man be lifted up. And the Word of the Lord right
here in John 7 is doing its work on Nicodemus. And he was not yet boldly on
the Lord's side, but he was no longer his enemy. And he's realizing,
I don't find any fault in this man. He said in verse 51, does
our law judge any man before it hear him and know what he
doeth? According to God's will and time,
the work of grace had been slow in Nicodemus. It had been about
18 months since he first came to the Lord in John 3. But through
God's will and God's time, Nicodemus seems to be seeing some things,
as through a glass darkly, but he seems to be seeing some things.
And the Lord mentions him one more time in his word, and that
event In that event, we see the Lord's mercy and grace to that
man and it's the same mercy and grace He gives to every sinner.
It's in John 19, it says, after our Lord's death, Joseph of Arimathea,
being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews,
besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus.
Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore and took the
body of Jesus, and there came also Nicodemus, which at the
first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh
and aloes, about a hundred pound weight. Our Lord gave Joseph
and Nicodemus the unspeakable honor of handling Jesus Christ
crucified. What a blessed man he was. So
is every sinner that the word of the Lord comes to. Every sinner
who hears his voice, every sinner that God's spirit causes the
sinner to say, never man spake like this man. If we ever hear
that, if we ever say that, then God has had great mercy on us.
Until next Sunday morning, may our Lord bless His word. 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.