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 invite you to turn with me
this morning to Acts chapter 11. the book of Acts chapter
11, and I want us to look at something that I believe is a
very important question, a very important question. Look at Acts
11 verse 25 with me. It says, Then departed Barnabas
to Tarsus for to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he
brought him unto Antioch, and it came to pass that a whole
year they assembled themselves with the church and taught much
people, and the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. Now, I want to tell you a little
story before we begin this. Years ago, I was in a place with
my sister. I have three sisters. and I was
in a place with one of them, and a man came into this place,
it was a retail place, and after a small amount of time of chit-chatting
back and forth and having some nice conversation with this man,
he asked both of us, he said, are y'all Christians? He said, you look like good Christian
people. And he kind of caught me off
guard and I'm hoping you'll see why as we get into this. But he caught me off guard and
in the moment what I said to the man was, well, what do you
mean by that? What do you mean when you say
that? What do you believe a Christian is? And the man told me, he said,
well, a Christian is a person who tries to live right. And a Christian is a person who
tries to do right by others. And he gives his heart to Jesus and he quits sinning. And That fella and I started talking
about a few things and we realized after that we didn't have much
to talk about. But I thought if that's the definition
of a Christian, then no, I'm not a Christian. Not in the way
you're describing it. Now I have a desire, I have a
sincere desire to live what the world calls right. I want to
pay my bills. I want to abide by the laws of
this land. We have good laws. And I want
to abide by them. Our Lord told us to. And I do have a desire to do
right by others. I want to be fair with people.
I really do. I want to be honest with people.
And if somebody has to come in on the on the low end of things,
I'd rather it be me. I'd rather someone else come
out better. But I did not give my heart to
Jesus. He took my stony heart out of
me. That's what happened. And he
crushed that old hard heart to powder. That's what happened. And then He put in me a heart
of flesh. He did it. And I have yet to quit sinning.
I have yet to quit sinning one day of my life. I have not gone
through one day of my life without sinning. I haven't gone through
one hour of my life. Not one minute of my life. not one second, without sinning. And the reason
is because I am a sinner. And it's all I can do. I can't
not sin. It's because I'm a sinner. And my only hope is that The
Lord of Glory, the Lord Jesus Christ, has paid for all of the
sins that I am daily committing. I can't stop doing it. If I could,
I would. But I can't stop. And my only hope is that my Lord
has paid for all of these sins that I cannot stop sinning. The sins that I just wish I could
get rid of. I have a heart to not do those
things, but I cannot help it. I'm a sinner. And this world has changed the
word Christian into something that I cannot identify with. I just cannot identify with it. To this world, a Christian is
not a sinner. And that doesn't represent me, if
that's what a Christian is. Sadly for me. But here is the message that
I want to deliver to our hearts this morning. This is what I hope will be impressed
on us. Even though this world has ruined
certain wonderful things that our Lord has given us, like baptism.
This world has ruined baptism and made it into something that
it's not. This world has put emphasis on
that ceremony instead of the Christ we are confessing. Baptism is not salvation. It's
confessing a salvation that Christ accomplished. But even though
this world has ruined that ordinance, we should never be ashamed of
it. We should never shy away from baptism, that's a commandment
of our God, to confess Christ. Even though they've ruined it
for themselves, don't ruin it for me. And even though Catholicism has
defiled our Lord's table, we should never be ashamed of it.
We should not shy away from what He has given to us and commanded
of us. And even though this world has
flat ruined the name Christian, misrepresented what a Christian
is, we should never be ashamed of that name. We should never
shy away from the name that our Lord has given to us. and I want
to emphasize us. He has given it to a certain
people, a chosen people, a people that God His Father chose, a
people who were given to Christ, a people who Christ redeemed.
Those particular people, this word calls them the elect. For all of the elect, The wonderful
news is His name is our name. It's our name. Jeremiah 23 says
that His name shall be called the Lord our righteousness. That's the name of Christ Himself. Well, Jeremiah 33 says that her
name, his bride, the bride of Christ himself, her name shall
be called the Lord our righteousness. His name has been given to us. So yes, I am a Christian. I am a Christian. What is a Christian? I just told
you I'm a sinner, but then I told you I was a Christian. So what
is a Christian? What is a true Christian? Well, the apostle Paul wrote
a letter to some people who were from a city called Corinth. And those people who were from
that city, They were called Corinthians. He wrote that letter to the Corinthians
who were in Corinth. And he also wrote a letter to
some people who were born in a city called Galatia. You know
what those people were called? Galatians. And he wrote a letter to some
people who lived in a city called Ephesus. And those people were called
Ephesians. And the people in Philippi were
called Philippians. And the people in Colossae were
called Colossians. And the people in Thessalonica
were called Thessalonians. Now they were called that because
they were from. They were of. They were born
in. They lived in the name that they
were called by. Why is this man called an Ephesian
and this man called a Thessalonian? The reason is because he lives
in Ephesus and this other man lives in Thessalonica. That's
why. A true Christian is a person who comes from It's a person who is of. It's a person who was born in
and lives in Jesus Christ. Where are you going to find a
Colossian? In Colossi. Where are you going to find a
Christian? in Christ? The answer is in Christ. What
is a Christian? It's a person who is born of the Spirit of
God into Christ and he lives and he moves and he has his being
in Christ. Now I titled this message, What
is a Christian? But the next question that I
have is, am I a Christian? Am I a Christian? I said that
God's elect, the ones that the Father chose, a certain particular
people are called by His name. Not every soul on this earth.
Our Lord is very clear about that. But a certain people are. Am I one of them? That man asked my sister and
myself, he said, are y'all Christians? Well, I'd like to know the answer
to that. Am I a Christian? a Christian? Am I in Christ? That's what I would like to know.
Well, this text right here in Acts chapter 11 describes Christians. So all I want to do is read down
through it and then just acknowledge what it's saying and hopefully
I and you also will be given some comfort in this that we
are of Christ. I want to be of Christ and I
pray that you are of Christ. It starts at the end of verse
18 and it says that these particular people were granted repentance
unto life. True Christians were granted
repentance unto life. life. They were born, birthed,
given life. Every true Christian is given
a new mind and a new heart on the things of God and salvation.
That's what repentance is. Repentance unto life. They're
given a new mind and a new heart and a new heart on the things
of God and of salvation." Every soul on this earth has a mindset
about God and about salvation. And it's a self-centered mindset. Every sinner on earth is self-centered. And his thoughts on God and his
thoughts on salvation are self-centered. The question every sinner asks
is, what must I do to be saved? Self-centered. But a true Christian
is Christ-centered. You know that? Christ-centered. It all centers on Christ. All
the focus is on Christ. Now is that us? Is that us when it comes to salvation? Who gets all the glory? Where
is all the focus? Is it on us? Or is it on Christ? True Christians say, it's all
Christ. It's all Christ. Verse 19 right
here in Acts chapter 11 says, Now they which were scattered
abroad, true Christians are scattered abroad. Isaiah wrote, though
the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the
sea, a remnant shall be saved. A remnant. Have you ever purchased
a remnant? Have you ever gone to a carpet
store bought a remnant, you just needed a small rug and you want
a good price on it. And the guy says, well, I have
a remnant back here. That roll started out as a huge
roll with yards and yards of carpet. But by the time it's
finished, there's not enough left to really amount to anything.
Kind of the throwaway. And it's called a remnant. Just
a small remnant. And Isaiah wrote, and all through
the Word of God, our Lord says it's gonna be a remnant. A remnant,
but my question is, am I part of that remnant? Go with me over
to Matthew chapter 26. Matthew 26, look at verse 31. Then saith Jesus unto them, all
ye shall be offended because of me this night. For it is written,
I will smite the shepherd and the sheep of the flock shall
be scattered abroad. Scattered abroad. God's sheep
are going to be scattered abroad. And they won't find fellowship
in Christ with the mainstream, mainstream religion of where
they are. You know, men and women think
they can just pop into any church and find true fellowship in the
glory and worship and praise of Jesus Christ, but they can't.
What they'll find is it's full of self. Usually it's full of
self. They won't find the majority
giving all the glory to Christ for all things. You go in and
ask a sinner, does Christ get the glory for all things? First
of all, are you a sinner? It's hard to find a sinner. But
if you find a sinner, does Christ get all the glory for saving
you? Or do you take some of that glory for yourself? That fellowship,
that true fellowship in Christ alone will be scattered abroad. That's just the way it is for
a true Christian. Well back over in Acts chapter 11 verse 19 says,
Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that
arose about Stephen. Persecution. True Christians
are persecuted. They are a persecuted people. What are they persecuted for?
Verse 19 says, preaching the Word. It says, now they which
were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about
Stephen traveled as far as Phenicia and Cyprus and Antioch preaching
the Word to none but unto the Jews only. Preaching the Word. True Christians preach God's
Word. They hold to God's Word. Christ alone. Scriptures alone. Scriptures alone. Nothing will
shape the mind and the heart and the belief of a true Christian
but the Word of God. It is all of the Christian's
foundation. Every bit of it. Some people
say, well, I know that the Word says this, but there's a guy
who's written a really good book. And he says in that book, the
true Christian says, nope. Nope. If it contradicts this
Word, nope. By God's grace, His true Christians
preach and believe the Word of God alone. Now, if a man has
written something that is completely in line with Jesus Christ and
Him crucified, Christ getting all the glory, amen. But if not, it's Scriptures alone. It's the Word of Christ alone. And His Christians are persecuted
people. Well, what are they preaching
in God's Word that's so offensive to people? True Christians preach
and they believe God's Word. What is it that is so offensive
that it's causing them to be persecuted for it? Look at verse
20. And some of them were men of
Cyprus and Cyrene, which when they were come to Antioch, spake
unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. True Christians preach the Lord
Jesus. They preach the High King of
Heaven. Call His name Emmanuel because
God is with us. They preach Him for who He is,
God Almighty. Call His name Jesus because He
shall save His people. Those that are of Him, Born into
Him, put in Him, He shall save everyone from their sins. They don't preach gentle Jesus,
meek and mild. Oh, Jesus wants to. Oh, won't
you let Jesus. No, they preach, I looked and
lo, a lamb stood on Mount Zion. The victorious lamb. my Savior forever." How could
anybody be persecuted for preaching that? Preaching the High King of Heaven? True Christians are. Verse 20
says, Some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which when
they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching
the Lord Jesus. and the hand of the Lord was
with them. And a great number believed and turned unto the
Lord." True Christians believe God and turn to the Lord. Why do they believe and turn?
The reason is because the hand of the Lord is with them. It's
not because they make better decisions than the rest of the
world. It's not because there's something special in them. It's
because the hand of the Lord is on them. What is God's hand
doing? It's drawing them. It's turning them unto Himself. What makes a Christian to differ
over any other person? The hand of the Lord. Turn thou
me and I shall be turned. God gets the glory. That's the
only difference. Verse 22 says, Then tidings of
these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem.
And they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch,
who when he came, and had seen the grace of God." True Christians
have received the grace of God and they know it. They know it. They're just beggars who have
been given the free gift of Jesus Christ. Grace means gift. They
know they are saved by grace. Christ alone, scriptures alone,
grace alone. Amazing grace, how sweet the
sound that saved a wretch like me. Did you earn it? Not one bit of it. Did you deserve
it? Not one bit of it. Do you deserve
it now? Not one bit of it. I am what
I am by the grace of God. Verse 23, who when he came and
had seen the grace of God was glad. and exhorted them all that
with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord." True Christians
cleave to Jesus Christ with purpose of heart. They absolutely do. I have one purpose in this life,
and that's to cleave to Jesus Christ. It's not to get rich.
It's not to become known. It's not to live life to the
fullest, it's to cleave to Christ. May God enable us to do that.
May God enable us to do that. Cleave to Christ. Verse 23 says,
who when he came and had seen the grace of God was glad and
exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto
the Lord. For Barnabas, it says, for he
was a good man. True Christians are good men
and women. Now a true Christian is going to hear me say that,
and that true Christian is going to say, oh, no, I'm not. No,
I'm not. Not me, I'm vile, I'm wicked,
I'm wretched, I'm sinful. There's none that do with good,
no not one. And that's true. In and of our
own selves, there's nothing good in any of us. But in Christ,
in Christ we have a different story. Thank God, he said, don't
you call unclean what I have made clean. Paul wrote, in Christ
you're washed. In Christ you're sanctified.
John said, in Christ now are we the sons of God. As He is,
so are we. Is that not wonderful? True Christians
acknowledge, if there's anything good in me, it's Christ in me. It's His Spirit in me. Verse 24 says, for he was a good
man and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith. If there's any
faith inside me, it's the faith of Christ. Verse 24 says, and
much people was added to the Lord. True Christians are added
to the Lord. They are not those who have given
themselves, They are those who have been added to. God gets
all the glory in who He chooses to add to the Lord and put in
Christ to redeem in the Lord. Verse 25 says, Then departed
Barnabas to Tarsus for to seek Saul. And when he had found him,
he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass that a whole
year they assembled themselves with the church. True Christians
have been given a heart to assemble themselves with the Church. God's Church. They have been
given a heart to identify themselves with God's gospel and God's people. And I pray God has given us,
I pray God has given me and you a heart to do that. I pray that
he has put in us to say, I was glad when they said unto me,
let us go to the house of the Lord. When he had found him,
he brought him unto Antioch, and it came to pass that a whole
year they assembled themselves with the church and taught much
people, and the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch."
By God's grace, I want to be a Christian. I truly do. Until next Sunday morning, may
the 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.