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 Romans chapter 1. And I would
like to encourage you, if you have one, to grab a Bible and
turn with me in it. Everything that we say on the
radio, everything that any man says, has got to come from the
Word of God. It has to be spoken from. And it has to be of the Word
of God. It has to be the Word of God. And the only way we can
know if these things are so is if we look at them with our own
two eyes. This is too important. These
issues are not issues of religion, and they're not just issues of
doctrine. These are issues of life and death. Life and death. Only God's Word will stand true. My opinion on it means nothing. Every other man's opinion on
it means nothing. All that we have, all that we
can truly stand on is the Word of God. And so I strongly encourage
you, if you have one handy, open your Bible with me to Romans
chapter 1. In verse 16, Paul said, I am
not ashamed to preach the gospel of Christ. Verse 17, he said,
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to
faith. Therein, in the preaching of
the gospel, the righteousness, the rightness, the goodness,
the holiness of God of Christ, of His walk through this earth,
of His work on the cross, every bit of that is revealed through
the preaching of the gospel. From faith to faith. Verse 17 says, as it is written,
the just shall live by faith. The just shall live by faith. Our Lord has said a lot about
faith. That phrase, the just shall live
by faith. He said that exact phrase four
times. He said it in Habakkuk 2.4. He said it right here in Romans
1.17. He said it in Galatians 3.11 and he said it in Hebrews
10.38, four times. He wrote a whole chapter in the
book of Hebrews on it, chapter 11. He made statements to sinners
like this. He said in Matthew 9, daughter,
be of good comfort, thy faith hath made thee whole. He told
his apostles, O ye of little faith. He asked this question
in Luke 18, when the Son of Man cometh, shall he find faith on
the earth? Shall he find faith? Faith is
vital to a believer, vital. Our text says the just shall
live by faith. Now here's some questions that
we're gonna look at this morning. What does this mean? The just
shall live by faith. What does this mean? What is
faith? What is faith? Where does it
come from? How do we get it? Why do we need it? How much do we need? How is it
performed? How is faith performed? Well,
first let's turn to Hebrews 11 and see if we can answer some
of these questions. Hebrews chapter 11, verse 1 says, Now faith is the substance of
things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith is
two things. It's a substance and it's an
evidence. It says faith is the substance.
That means confidence in what we hope for. It's the confidence. You hope for something that you
don't have. If you have it, then you don't hope for it. You have
it. Faith is the confidence in what you hope for. It's not the
confidence in your ability to hope for it. The emphasis or
the object is not you, it's what you hope for. Now, if you're
sitting in a chair right here, right now, if you're sitting,
listening to this radio broadcast, why did you sit down in that
chair? Why'd you sit down in that chair?
The reason you did is because you had confidence in the fact
that the chair would hold you. That's why you sat in it. Your
confidence was not in your ability to sit in the chair. It was in
the chair. If I could see you right now,
how could I know that you had confidence in that chair? How could I know? That confidence
is an inward thing. The reason or the cause of you
sitting in that chair started inside, that's an inward thing.
How could I know that you trusted in that chair? I'd see you sitting in it, right? I'd see you resting in it. What
is faith? It's confidence in the object. And it's evidence of that confidence. That's what it is. James said,
I'll show you my faith. I'll show it to you. Turn with
me over to James chapter two, verse 17. He says, even so faith,
if it hath not works is dead being alone. Verse 20, he said,
but wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Somebody says, I trust this chair.
I really do. I trust it. And I'd love to sit
in it. I really do trust it. My legs
are tired. I'd love to sit down. I do trust
the chair. Then sit in it. Sit in it. That's what James is saying.
That's what faith is. It's the confidence and it's
the evidence of that confidence. All right, now here's another
question. Where does faith come from? Where does it come from? Where does it originate? What's
the source of it? Well, turn with me over to Galatians
chapter 2. If you have your Bible, turn
with me over to Galatians chapter 2 and let's look at verse 16. It says, knowing that a man is
not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of
Jesus Christ. You notice how it says, of Jesus
Christ? It goes on to say, even we have
believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the
faith of Christ. and not by the works of the law,
for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." No flesh. Verse 20 says, I'm crucified
with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth
in me. In the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved
me and gave himself for me. I live by the faith of the Son
of God. All faith is Jesus Christ's faith. All faith that exists is the
faith of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 12.2 says He's the author
of it. He's the author of it. He is
the source of it. He is the originator of it. It all comes from Him. It does
not originate and it can't be found in natural man. Somebody
say, well, just dig deep down in there and find your faith.
You don't have any. You don't have any. It's not
made there. It's not lying dormant waiting
for you to stir it up. Turn with me over to Ephesians
chapter two. Ephesians chapter two, verse eight says, for by grace
are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It's not of yourselves, it's
not of me, and it's not of you, it's not created in us, by us. The Lord Jesus Christ creates
faith. He is where it comes from. Faith
is confidence in the object, faith is evidence of that confidence,
and it's only created by Jesus Christ. All right, here's another
question. How do we get it? If it does not come from us,
if it is not made by us, if it's not produced by us, if it doesn't
start in us, how do we get it? Ephesians 2 verse 8 says, for
by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves,
it is the gift of God. It's His faith, it's His gift. All we can do is receive it,
that's it. We don't even have the ability
to accept it or reject it. All we can do is receive it. So this confidence in Christ
is actually the confidence of Christ. And if we are gonna have
it, it has to be given to us. All right, now here's the next
question. How do we get it from Him? How do we get it? It has to come from Him. Here's
the next question. How do we get it from Him? How
do we receive it unto ourselves? Well, turn with me over to Romans
chapter 10. Romans chapter 10, verse 17 says,
so then faith cometh by hearing. and hearing by the Word of God."
We're about to see how vital faith is. And if we have any
hope of receiving it and increasing in it, we must come hear the
Word of God preached. That's just the truth. I don't
say that because I'm the preacher. I say that because it's God's
truth. I say that because God said it.
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Our faith
will not increase through our experiences. It will not increase
through our personal learning and study, although those are
good things. They're vital things. But if
we want to receive more faith, it will only come through the
hearing of the Word of God. That's what the Lord God said.
Faith is confidence. Faith is evidence of that confidence.
Faith is of Christ. Faith must be given and faith
comes by hearing. Now listen to this question.
Why do we need it? Why do we need it? The simple
answer is it's because we're sinners. Ephesians 2.1 says we
are dead in our trespasses and sins. But our text says the just
shall live by faith. We're saved through it. We're
saved by grace through faith. Grace saved us. Christ saved
us. Faith is the confidence and evidence
of that. Here's a little illustration
for you. Two men, they have to flee for their lives, so they
both get in a ship. They both get in a ship. One has been around
the water his whole life. The other one, this is his first
time out at sea. The ocean lover, he's standing
at the front of the ship. He's riding the waves. He's loving
it. The new guy is down below. He's
curled up in a corner. He's scared to death that he's
going to drown. Which one is going to make it to land? Which
one? The one that has great faith,
great faith in the ship, or the one that has little faith in
the ship? Well, they're either both going
to make it to land, or they're neither going to make it to land.
Their arrival safely on that other shore, it has nothing to
do with their faith. And it has everything to do with
that ship. If the ship is able, they're
able. Grace is that ship. Christ is
that ship. Faith put them in the ship. We're saved by grace through
faith. And none of that is of ourselves.
It's all a gift of God. Every bit of it. The grace is
a gift. The faith is a gift. Faith is
a vital substance to a believer. It's vital because the just,
the justified in Jesus Christ shall live by faith. That confidence is what caused
both of them to get in that ship. We must have faith. We need it. Turn with me back over to Hebrews
chapter 11. Hebrews chapter 11 verse 2 says,
by faith we obtain a good report. It says, for by it the elders
obtained a good report. Kids bring home report cards.
They bring report cards on what they've done. Well, what must
I do to be saved? What must I do to get a good
report? Here's the answer. Have confidence in the Lord Jesus
Christ and show evidence of that confidence. What must I do? Believe. Have faith. Verse 3 says, through faith we
understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God so
that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
Through this faith we understand the works of God. We understand
the works of God. There's no way we could understand
the works of God without God-given faith. We need faith, don't we? We cannot believe without it. Faith is believing God. Verse
6 right here in Hebrews 11 says, Without faith it is impossible
to please Him, for he that cometh to God must believe that He is,
and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. So we must have it. We must have
it. Does that mean it's a work? Well,
you're making a work out of faith. No, we're not. We already said
it's a gift. It's not of yourself. You don't dig down deep and find
it. It's a gift. It's a gift. God gives it to
whom He will. The Spirit of Christ causes all
of the elect sinners that God the Father chose to receive faith.
Call on Christ and believe His Word. We must have it. Now let's ask this question.
How much do we need? If we need it, how much do we
need? Because his apostles asked, Lord,
increase our faith. Increase our faith. Well, turn
with me over to Luke 17. How much do we need? Luke 17,
verse five. And the apostle said unto the
Lord, Increase our faith. And the Lord said, If you had
faith as a grain of mustard seed, you might say unto this sycamore
tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in
the sea, and it should obey you. Some have great faith. Some have
small faith. But here's the good news. Our
Lord said, all you need to have a sure hope of salvation is faith
as the grain of a mustard seed. But we must have that mustard
seed. God must give us that mustard seed. We must have confidence
in Jesus Christ and we must have evidence of that confidence.
That thief on the cross, right before the Lord took him to paradise,
He showed evidence, didn't he? He showed evidence of that confidence
in Christ. He said, Lord, would you remember
me when you come into your kingdom? He showed that evidence. We must
have confidence in the fact that it comes from Jesus Christ and
it's given to us by Jesus Christ through the hearing of the Word
of God. No matter how small our faith is, we must believe. Now
here's our last question. Here's the last question. How
is it performed? How do I perform it? How do I
use it? How do I do it? How do I believe? If it's not of me, if it does
not come from me, if I have no ability to reach down and pull
it up, if it's totally a gift of God, if God is the author
of it and the finisher of it, But if I must have it and if
I must show evidence of having it, how do I believe? How is it performed? Well, turn
with me over to Matthew 17. Matthew chapter 17, verse 14 says, And when they
were come to the multitude, There came to him a certain man, kneeling
down to him, and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son, for he's
a lunatic and sore-vexed. For oft times he falleth into
the fire, and oft into the water. And I brought him to thy disciples,
and they could not cure him. Then Jesus answered and said,
O faithless and perverse generation, How long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you?
Bring him hither to me." And Jesus rebuked the devil and he
departed out of him, and the child was cured from that very
hour. Then came the disciples to Jesus
apart and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said
unto them, Because of your unbelief, For verily I say unto you, if
you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say unto
this mountain, remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove,
and nothing shall be impossible unto you. How be it this kind
goeth out, goeth not out, but by prayer and fasting." How is
faith performed? Prayer and fasting. Prayer and
fasting. We pray to God. How is faith
performed? We call on God. How is faith
performed? We look to Christ. We pray, Lord,
You are able. Prayer and fasting. He's not
talking about denying ourselves breakfast. He's talking about
denying ourselves. We deny our ability. We deny
our involvement. We can evidence faith by taking
me completely out of the equation to the point that I believe I
was never even in the equation. And there was not even a work
in me taking myself out. No work at all. True faith believes
he has done what he said he did, all by himself. And he will do
what he says he'll do, all by himself. Faith is not believing
in myself. Faith is not believing in my
ability to believe. Faith, true saving faith, takes
me out of the equation altogether, and it only hopes in Christ.
That's it. It only hopes in Christ. Right
here in Matthew 17 verse 19 says, Then came the disciples to Jesus
apart, and said, Why could we not cast him out? And Jesus said
unto them, Because of your unbelief. For verily I say unto you, if
you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say unto
this mountain, remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove,
and nothing shall be impossible to you." Now let me ask you this. Here's a question concerning
this faith that our Lord is talking about. Do you believe you can
move a mountain? Physically. Do you believe you
can move a mountain? I'm asking myself the same question
and my answer is no. Now let's ask this question.
Do you believe Jesus Christ can move a mountain? Physically,
if he wanted to? That's faith. True faith takes me so far out
of the equation. I believe if he didn't believe
for me, I could never even believe. He's the author, he's the finisher. True saving faith says, I'm confident
that he has revealed to me that I need to be in the ship. And
if he doesn't put me in the ship, I won't make it in the ship.
But if he does, If He does, whether I'm standing in the front or
whether I'm scared below the deck, if I'm gonna make it safely
to the other side, He's gonna have to get me there. He's gonna
have to get me there. Now, this saving faith, what
is this mountain standing in front of us? It's the mountain
of our sin. It's the mountain of our wickedness.
It's the mountain of our unrighteousness. It's the mountain that stands
between me and God. Me in glory, me in union with
Christ. Can I move that mountain? No. Can Christ move that mountain?
Can Christ put away all my sin? Can Christ pay all my debt? Yes,
He can. That's faith. I want to close
by reading you an article, a good article that a man wrote called
Christ the Object of Faith. Here's what he wrote. We do not
find rest, hope, nor comfort in our faith, but in Christ. If you will give careful thought
to that statement, it will be of great help to you. Faith is
not a foundation, a refuge, nor a source of help. Faith is a
means, a look, an empty hand. It is Christ who is our refuge.
who protects from every storm. He is our rock on which we build.
He is our source of every mercy and our only plea. My faith may
be weak or weaker, but He cannot fail. If all my debts have been
paid by my surety, I don't have to be ashamed to come before
God. The praise and credit goes not to my boldness and faith,
but to my gracious benefactor. I'm not debt-free because I believe,
though I do, and that faith united me to Him, but because He set
me free and paid my debt. Christ is our confidence and
our assurance. The moment I seek a reason for
hope in anything I do, even in the blessed grace of faith, I
forfeit any possibility of peace. Blessed is the man that maketh
the Lord his trust. When Isaiah saw His glory, he
spake of Him. When any man truly sees the glory
of the Lord Jesus Christ, then Christ becomes the message and
the object of faith. 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.