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
in your Bibles this morning to the book of Acts. Acts chapter
2. And I want to look at a very
important question. What shall we do? What shall we do? That's the
question every man and woman needs answered. What shall we
do? Right here in Acts chapter two,
Peter has been preaching to the Jews on the day of Pentecost,
preaching the gospel to them. In verse 37 says, now when they
heard. Now when they heard. If you have
your Bible open with me, you'll see that the word this is in
italics. That means it was added by the
translators. So it says, now when they heard. They'd been
listening with their ears for a while. Listening to Peter preach
the gospel. It had been going into their
ear rolling around their mind, and they'd been trying to make
some sense of it, but it says, when they heard, when they heard. True hearing is an issue of the
heart. You know that? It's an issue
of the heart. False hearing is hearing with
the ear. True hearing is hearing with
the heart. Verse 37 says, now, when they heard. How do we know
they really heard? Well, it goes on to say, they
were pricked in their heart. Pricked in their heart when they
heard. Well, what did they hear? What
was Peter telling them, preaching to them? Well, look at verse
22. It says, ye men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth,
a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs,
which God did by Him in the midst of you as you yourselves also
know. Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge
of God, you have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and
slain. Verse 32 says, this Jesus hath
God raised up whereof we all are witnesses. And verse 36 says,
therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God
hath made that same Jesus whom you have crucified, both Lord
and Christ. And verse 37 says, now when they
heard this, they were pricked in their heart. and said unto
Peter and to the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what
shall we do? What shall we do? What a question. That's a question that God brings
every one of his elect sinners to ask. What shall we do? We've sinned against God, we
realize that. God is holy, we realize that. God is my judge. What shall we
do? That's what the rich young ruler
asked the Lord. He came and said, what shall
I do that I might inherit eternal life? What shall I do? That's what the Philippian jailer
asked Paul and Silas. What must I do to be saved? What must I do? Turn with me
over to Luke chapter three. Luke 3 verse 9 says, now this
is John the Baptist speaking, he said, and now also the axe
is laid unto the root of the trees. Every tree therefore which
bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the
fire. And the people asked him saying,
what shall we do then? What shall we do? That's the
question every sinner needs answered. What shall we do? Well, back
over to Acts chapter two, verse 37 says, now when they heard
this, they were pricked in their heart and said unto Peter and
to the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall
we do? Then Peter said unto them, repent. Repent. That's how Peter answered
them. Repent. I call on every sinner
who hears this message right now to repent and be baptized,
every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission
of sins. That's what Peter just said in
verse 38, Acts 2, verse 38. What shall we do? Repent. Repent. Turn with me over to Matthew
chapter four. Matthew chapter four, verse 17
says, from that time Jesus began to preach and to say, repent,
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. That's what God said,
the God, that's what he preached. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven
is at hand. Turn with me over to Luke 24.
Luke 24, verse 46, it says, and our Lord said unto them, thus
it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer and to rise
from the dead the third day. and that repentance and remission
of sins should be preached in his name among all nations beginning
at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these
things. Our God said preach repentance and the remission of sins. And
that's what Peter just preached in Acts chapter two. Go back
with me over now to Acts chapter two. In verse 38 he said, repent
and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of
the Holy Ghost. Now let's start with repentance.
Repentance, the importance of it. Repentance is important, number
one, because God said to do it. It's important to repent because
God said to do it, repent. For the kingdom of heaven is
at hand, that's what he said. Turn with me over to Acts chapter
three and look at verse 19. It says, repent ye therefore
and be converted. that your sins may be blotted
out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence
of the Lord. That sounds pretty vital, doesn't it? Repent that
your sins may be blotted out. Look at 2 Corinthians 7 with
me. 2 Corinthians 7 and look at verse
10. For godly sorrow That's sorrow
over sin, that's what that is. Godly sorrow worketh repentance
to salvation. Not to be repented of, but the
sorrow of the world worketh death. Repentance to salvation. Who's
saying all this? Am I saying this? Am I making
this up? Or is God saying this? Repentance is vital. Repentance
is wonderful. It's wonderful. Go with me over
to Luke 15. Luke chapter 15 and look at verse
seven. It says, I say unto you that
likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth. more than over 90 and nine just
persons which need no repentance. Repentance is a joyful thing.
It's one of the most joyful things I know of. Most people view it as a hard
thing. It's actually one of the most enjoyable things I know
of. This matter of preaching, this
matter of salvation is something which the angels desire to look
into. And it says that when the angels
see one sinner repent, joy erupts in heaven. That's beautiful,
isn't it? Repentance, it's vital, it's
vital. Now what is repentance? What
is it? It's a vital thing, but what
is it? What is repentance? Turn with
me over to Acts chapter five. Acts chapter five and look at
verse 30. It says, the God of our fathers raised up Jesus,
whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his
right hand, to be a prince and a savior for to give repentance
to Israel and forgiveness of sins. The first thing to know
about repentance is it's a gift. For to give repentance, he said,
it's a gift. Repentance is a gift. Go with me over to Acts chapter
11. Acts chapter 11 and look at verse
18, it says, when they heard these things, they held their
peace and glorified God saying, then hath God also to the Gentiles
granted repentance unto life. It's a gift that God gives unto
life. That's pretty joyful, isn't it? unto life. Go with me over to
Romans chapter two. Romans chapter two verse four
says, or despised thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance
and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth
thee to repentance. Repentance is something God leads
a sinner to through the riches of His goodness and the riches
of His forbearance and the riches of His long-sufferingness. Repentance is a joyful thing.
What is repentance? Go with me over to 2 Timothy
2. 2 Timothy 2 verse 24, it says,
and the servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle unto
all, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that
oppose themselves, if God peradventure will give them repentance to
the acknowledging of the truth." To the acknowledging of the truth. Repentance means A changed mind. That's what the word means. A
changed mind. To the acknowledging of the truth. Now listen to Ephesians 2. I'm
sure most of you know this chapter and these verses well, but listen
to this. Ephesians 2, this is verses 1 through 4. It says,
And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins.
Dead, that's us by nature, dead. You know, a man can't do anything.
A man can't repent. You tell men and women, you tell
sinners who are dead in their sins, repent. The truth is, is
they can't. And the reason is because they're
dead. So it has to be a gift. A gift from God. You hath he
quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins. wherein in time past
you walked according to the course of this world, according to the
prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in
the children of disobedience, among whom also we all had our
conversation in times past in the lust of our flesh. fulfilling
the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and we're by nature
the children of wrath, even as others." That's every one of
us. Every single one of us. Verse four says, but God. But God. Changed your mind, changed
my mind. Changed the mind of His elect. How did He do that? He quickened
us, but God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith
he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened
us. Together with Christ, he changed
our heart. He took out that dead heart of
stone and he put in a heart of flesh and he changed our heart. Those men came to Peter and they
said, what shall we do? And Peter didn't say, you just
keep on believing that you're God and salvation is in your
hands. And Jesus is just a man who came
and he technically does live in heaven and he'll put in a
good word for you and hopefully everything will work out. No,
that's not what he said. First thing he said, You gotta
have a changed mind about who God is. You must. A changed mind about who God
is. So it is a work. It is something
that man does. No. We just read four verses
of scripture that said it's a gift. It's a gift. It's a gift. This man, Jesus of Nazareth,
Peter said, told these Jews, and he says to us, whom you crucified
has been raised up. He's seated on his throne. He
is your Lord. He is your Christ. What does
that mean? It means he's your God. That's
what it means. It means he's your God. Say,
well, I didn't crucify him. Oh, my sin. My hope is that my
sin was laid on him. That's my hope. My hope is that
my sin is what killed him. That's my hope. Because if my
sin was not on him, if I have no part in his death, I have
no part in his resurrection. I have no part in His ascension.
I have no part with Him. I have no part with eternal life
in Him. I crucified Him. The sins I commit
today hung Him on that tree. And so, men and brethren, what
shall we do? Here's the answer. Bow the knee
to Jesus Christ, our God. That's what we, by God's grace,
shall do. We'll cry, Lord, forgive me for
my sin. Lord, forgive me for my sin. I did not know I was a sinner.
You've changed my mind. You've shown me Christ, and you've
shown me myself, and you've shown me my works, and I'm convinced
I'm a sinner. That's repentance. And now that I've seen you, I'm
convinced you're my God. You're not just a good humanitarian
who came from God. You're not just the one who can
show me how to get to God. You're my God. You're the God. That's repentance. That's a changed
mind. Did I just reach down deep and
work that up myself? Well, I think I'm gonna have
a changed mind. No, I was dead in my trespasses and sins. I
know that now through the repentance that God gave me, the changed
mind that God gave me. Thank you, Lord. Thank you. Forgive
us. Forgive us, please. He said,
I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. You know, that's called the gospel.
That's good news because I'm a sinner. It's good news for
sinners, sinners to repentance. Now go with me back over to Acts
chapter two, verse 38 says, Then Peter said unto them, repent
and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of
the Holy Ghost. Now what exactly is he saying
when he says be baptized? Be baptized every one of you
in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Well, turn with me
one more time back over to Luke 24. Luke chapter 24, and look with me at verse 47.
It says, and that repentance and remission of sins should
be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Remission means freedom. Repentance and remission. Remission means freedom. He told Peter, you preach this
changed mind about God and you preach freedom from sin. You tell men and women about
how a sinner can be made free from sin. How does freedom from
sin come? Here's the answer. Immersion
into Christ. That's the only way. There's
only one way. Immersion into Christ. It's not
in anything other than immersion into Christ. It's not in walking
an aisle. It's not in saying a prayer.
It's not in coming to the preacher down front. It's in immersion
into Christ. It's not in any work. other than
immersion into Christ. That's it. Go with me back over
to Acts 2. It says in verse 38, then Peter
said unto them, repent and be baptized every one of you in
the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Repent and be baptized. Baptized
means, that word means immersed. That's what it means, immersed.
Be immersed. Every one of you in the name. In the name. The angel told Mary,
call his name Jesus. Why? For he shall save. His people from their sins. His name means Savior. Savior. Be immersed, every one of you,
in the Savior for the remission of sins. There's only one way. There is only one way to be forgiven,
only one way to be saved, there's only one way to eternal life. It's to be immersed in Him. Immersed
in His body, I gotta be in Him. Immersed in His blood, I've gotta
be in that payment He made on Calvary's cross. All the work
must be in Him. All the hope must be in Him.
Is Peter exhorting them right there to get in the water? Yes. Why? It's open confirmation of
a changed mind. It's acknowledgement of the gift
of remission, the gift of His blood, the gift of His death,
the gift of His life that He's given to His people. It's acknowledgement
of that. God said, go and tell how great
things the Lord has done for you. Go tell how great things
the Lord has done for you. It's confession of his goodness
and his forbearance and his long-suffering kindness to us. It's confession that he's freed
me from my sin. That's what it is. Is there any
salvation in the water? So many places in this word,
the commandment is be baptized. Be baptized. Certain doctrines
cling to that for salvation. Is there any salvation in the
water? No. No. No, there's no salvation
in the water. Salvation is not in baptism.
Salvation is in Christ. It's in Christ. Baptism, immersion
into water, is only the confession of that. It's the confession
of that. We are confessing Christ. That's
what we're doing. Our Lord said, if thou shalt
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine
heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be
saved. Thou shalt be saved. Men and brethren, what shall
we do? What shall we do? We need to repent. How is that
gonna be possible? God's got to give us the gift
of repentance. We've got to wait on the Lord.
We've got to call on the Lord. We've got to beg Him for that. Lord, teach me. Lord, break me.
Lord, reveal Christ to me. Reveal the truth to me. Please
don't leave me in my sin. Please don't leave me in my death. Give life to me, please. It only
comes from Him. We've got to bow the knee to
God, Christ. We must repent and we must be
immersed in His blood. Can we do that? Is that a decision
we make? No, it's not. He was the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world. He died for all those
that God the Father gave Him. That was ordered and sure from
the foundation of the world. My only hope is that God the
Father put me in Him. Totally, completely, wholeheartedly, I believe on Him. I must believe
on Him, in Him. Lord, completely immerse us in
the Savior. That's our prayer. Immerse us
in the Savior. Cause us to bow. and immerse
us in the Savior. 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.