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
to Romans chapter 1 this morning. Romans chapter 1 says, Because
that when they knew God, They glorified Him, not as God. Neither were thankful, but became
vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed
the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to
corruptible man and to birds and four footed beast. creeping
things. Now that's exactly what many,
many people have done to the great, high, and holy God of
heaven. They've changed the glory of
the uncorruptible God in their minds, in their thoughts toward
Him. They've changed His glory. Now what is His glory? Turn with
me over to Exodus chapter 24. Exodus 24 verses 15 through 17
say this, And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered
the mount. And the glory of the Lord abode
on Mount Sinai. And the cloud covered it six
days. And the seventh day he called
unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. And the sight of the
glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount
in the eyes of the children of Israel." Devouring fire. That's what His glory looked
like to the children of Israel. Devouring fire. Now let's turn over to John chapter
1. Verse 1 says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God. Verse 14 says, And the Word was
made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth." That's the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the glory of God. Now back to our text over in
Romans 1. Verse 22 says, professing themselves to be wise, they became
fools and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God. Isn't that awful? Our God is
uncorruptible. What that exact word means is
this. He cannot decay. He cannot wither. That means His glory that we
read about in Exodus is still His glory today. He said, I am
the Lord, I change not. Therefore ye sons of Jacob are
not consumed. He is the same yesterday and
today and forever. He's uncorruptible. That means He's pure. He is pure. There is no sin in Him. None at all. He's uncorruptible. And we've changed His glory in
our minds. Man by nature has changed the
glory of this uncorruptible God. He cannot be influenced. We've changed His glory in our
minds to think this. If we take the first step, God
will take the second. Meaning, we can influence Him. We cannot. He is uncorruptible. He cannot be influenced. But
verse 22 right here in Romans 1 says, "...professing themselves
to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the
uncorruptible God, into an image made like to corruptible man
and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things. Men
and women who don't know God, who don't know who God is, they
have brought Him down to their level and they've made Him to
be a figment of their imagination. They've brought Him down. How sad How sad is this? Don't we so greatly need to be
reminded of this holy, uncorruptible God? They brought him down to their
level. They call him Jesus. Jesus. That is his name. But they're
not talking about the same Jesus of scripture. They've made up
another Jesus. Turn with me over to second Corinthians
chapter 11. Second Corinthians 11 verse three
says, but I fear lest by any means as the serpent beguiled
Eve through his subtlety. So your minds should be corrupted
from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh
preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if you
receive another spirit, which you have not received, or another
gospel, which you have not accepted, you might well bear with him. You might well bear with him.
Our text over in Romans 1 verse 22 says, professing themselves
to be wise. Man thinks he's so wise, doesn't
he? He thinks he has all the answers. He thinks he has God figured
out. Professing themselves to be wise,
they became fools and changed the glory of the uncorruptible
God into an image made like to corruptible man. This man Jesus,
this other Jesus, who's preached all over the place and believed
all over the place, is just a man just like me. He's a man just
like me. This Jesus that's being preached
everywhere today. They've changed the glory of
the uncorruptible God into an image made just like me. Just like me. First of all, they
believe He was made. Look at Romans 1 verse 3. It
says, "...concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, which
was made of the seed of David, according to the flesh." That
particular word right there, made, means He became flesh. That's what it means. Became. It doesn't mean he was created
like the things that are in verse 20. Verse 20 says, For the invisible
things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seeing,
being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal
power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse made. He was. He existed before it. and he became flesh. In verse 4 in Romans 1 says he
was declared to be the son of God with power. Power. Jesus the Christ was not
made. He was not made. He became flesh. In the beginning was the Word.
The Word was with God. The Word was God. And the Word
was made flesh. Turn with me over to John chapter
8. John chapter 8 verse 56 says, This is our Lord speaking. He
says, Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it
and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him,
Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Abraham, who was thousands of
years ago, Verse 58, Jesus said unto them, verily, verily, I
say unto you, that means truly, truly, I'm telling you the truth.
Before Abraham was, I am. They said, you're not even 50
years old and you've seen Abraham. And he said, oh, I'm way before
Abraham. before Abraham existed, I AM. I AM. Our God, the Lord Jesus
Christ, is eternal. He is eternal. But our text says
in Romans 1 verse 22, professing themselves to be wise, They became
fools and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an
image made like two corruptible man. Most people believe, if
they get honest and if they dig deep and think about what they
believe concerning this man, the Lord Jesus Christ, Most people
believe he's weak. They believe he's weak. Those
mean soldiers, they were stronger than he was. And they nailed
him to a cross. Weak. No, no. That's not what he said
concerning himself. He nailed himself to that cross. He said, no man takes my life
from me. I lay it down. I lay it down. Many people believe he can be
influenced just like corruptible man. We just said it a moment
ago. If you take the first step, God
will take the second. He said in his word, you can't
take a step at all. You're dead in your trespasses
and sins. Totally dead. If you're gonna
walk in newness of life, I've got to give you that life in
the first place. I've got to quicken you in the
first place. Many people believe he was a
good man. A good humanitarian who was a
good example with a good plan. Did you know that the word plan
is nowhere in the Bible? Not one time. Not one time. Many people bring down his glory
by saying God has a wonderful plan for your life. No, he doesn't. He doesn't. I'm telling you the
truth. God does not have a wonderful plan for your life. Every single thing our God does
is on purpose. It's on purpose. No plan with God. That would
be to say it might work out. It might not. No, there is no
plan. There is a purpose. Oh, they say he was a good man
with a good plan, a good goal. He tried real hard. They have no idea that everything
he did was according to purpose. And when he went back to glory
and sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, he said,
Father, the work that thou gavest me to do, I finished it. I finished it. Our God is nothing
like us. Thanks be to God. He is nothing
like us. But in spite of that, this unbelieving
world has changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an
image made like two corruptible man, into birds. Birds. Birds are harmless, aren't
they? They're harmless. They're just
fragile little creatures who just fly around and sing, and
they're just so sweet. Many, many people believe Jesus
is harmless. He's just a fragile little creature
who's just so sweet. Smile. God loves you. Does he? Does he? Apparently they've never read
Exodus 15 verse 3, which says, the Lord is a man of war. war. We read Exodus 24, which
said he was a devouring fire. He said in Matthew 10 34, think
not that I am come to send peace on earth. I came not to send
peace, but a sword, a sword. Oh, our God is nothing like us. Turn with me to Deuteronomy 32. Dear listener, we must hear the
truth of the matter. We must hear the truth about
our God. Deuteronomy 32, this is verses
39 to 42. This is what our God said. See
now that I, even I, am he. And there is no God with me.
I kill. and I make alive. I wound and
I heal. Neither is there any that can
deliver out of my hand. For I lift up my hand to heaven
and say, I live forever. If I wet my glittering sword
and mine hand take hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to mine
enemies and will reward them that hate me. I will make mine
arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh,
and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives from
the beginning of revenges upon the enemy." How many people do
you think really know that? How many people do you think
really know that? This is why the scripture says
the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Bow to this God. Bend the knee to this God. Beg
mercy of this God. It's great mercy to know Him
right now, to know these things right now. It's great mercy for
God to reveal who He truly is right now. So a sinner can fall
on his knees and beg for mercy right now. Oh, the fear of the Lord is the
beginning of wisdom. Oh, that they were wise and would
consider their latter end. I don't want to change the glory
of this uncorruptible God one bit in my mind, because if I
do, when I go to meet him at the end of this life, I'm going
to be in for the shock of my life. The shock. Well, Romans 1 verse 22 says,
professing themselves to be wise, they became fools and changed
the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to
corruptible man and to birds and four-footed beasts. I couldn't help but think of
a sheep or a cow A cow, just some animal, just standing in
a field. You drive by a field in your
car and look out and there's a cow just standing there. What's
he doing? Waiting. Just waiting on you,
just waiting. You're the one living life. You're
the one doing things. He's just waiting. Just standing
there, waiting. He'll just be there when you
need Him. People think they can put Jesus
in their back pocket and then pull Him out again when they
need Him. Listen to Colossians chapter 1. Verse 16 says, For
by Him were all things created that are in heaven and that are
in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions
or principalities or powers. All things were created by Him
and for Him, and He is before all things, and by Him all things
consist. By Him, all things keep going. The only reason I just took my
last breath of air right now is because Jesus Christ allowed
it and He commanded it. Breathe. Breathe. My breath is in His hand. My
life is in his hand. Dear listener, I'm telling you
the truth right now because I care for my soul and yours. I care
for my soul and yours. We've, we're going to go meet
God. We're going to go meet God. Romans one says professing themselves
to be wise. They became fools. and change
the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to
corruptible man, to birds, four-footed beast, creeping things. So many people have God reduced
down in their mind to a beggar, a creeping thing. crawling on his belly, begging
people to let him save them. Won't you let Jesus into your
heart? He's standing at the door knocking. Won't you open it? He wants to
save you if you'll let him. No, he doesn't. He doesn't. He does not. He does not want to save you. I'm telling you the truth. He
does not want to save you. He does not want to do anything. We must realize that. The true God doesn't want to
do anything. Turn with me, if you have your
Bible with you, turn to Isaiah 43. We have to see this. Verse 11 says I even I am the
Lord and beside me there is no Savior. I have declared and have
saved and I have showed where there was no strange God among
you. Therefore you are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God. Yea, before the day was, I am
he, and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. I will
work, and who shall let it? That's my God. That's our God. That's your God. If he wants
you to be saved, you're saved. If He purposed for you to be
saved, you were saved before the foundation of the world,
and you have no say in the matter. You have no say in the matter.
Our God doesn't want to do anything. It's done. All His works are
finished before the foundation of the world. Well, by the grace
of God, by the grace of God, we don't want to change the glory
of the uncorruptible God at all, do we? Not at all. We love the glory of our God,
don't we? We do. We love His sovereignty,
don't we? We love His majesty and His power. We love the fact that He's nothing
like us. We love the fact that He's able
to keep us. We love the fact that our lives
are in His hands. And in spite of us, He will do
what He's purposed to do. We love that, don't we? We love
that. So because of His glory and His
majesty, let's not degrade Him with religious images made like
to corruptible man and to birds and four-footed beast and creeping
things. Let's not degrade Him with those
things. Turn with me to Exodus chapter
20. Verse 4 says, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven
image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that
is in earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them. For
I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of
the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation
of them that hate me. A graven image is a religious
image. A religious image. We paint paintings
of doves with olive branches in their mouth. Let's get rid
of those. Let's get rid of those. That dove is no reminder of the
glory of our God, the uncorruptible God. Let's get rid of the crosses
that have some man, just some random man, hanging on them,
who could never represent our suffering Lord. The Lord whose
visage was marred more than any man. Let's get rid of that. It cannot bring glory to Him.
It brings Him down. Let's get rid of that fish decal
on our car. All it's doing is bringing glory
to us. It's saying, look how religious we are. It's not bringing
glory to God, it's bringing him down. We cannot worship God in spirit
when we worship idols made with hands. And that's what verse
four right there in Exodus 20 said, thou shalt not make unto
thee any graven image or any likeness of anything that's in
heaven, no doves, or that's in the earth, no crosses. or that's
in the water under the earth, no fish, no fish. Those things become gods to us.
Let's obey our Lord and do away with those things. Let's not
continue to bring His glory down. May the true and living God be
merciful to us and reveal His true self to us and cause us
to say with the Apostle Paul, Now unto the King eternal, immortal,
invisible, the only wise God be honor and glory forever and
ever. Amen. Until next Sunday morning,
may the Lord God 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.