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 to John chapter 3. And we're going to be looking
at verses 9 through 15 this morning. John chapter 3. In the first
eight verses of this chapter, a Pharisee named Nicodemus comes
to the Lord, asking him about teaching and miracles. And the
Lord tells him, except a man be born again, he cannot see
the kingdom of God. And Nicodemus said, I don't understand. Can a man be born when he is
old? Can he enter the second time
into his mother's womb? And the Lord said, except a man
be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom
of God. Now verse nine begins our text. It says, Nicodemus answered and
said unto him, how can these things be? How can these things
be? That is the question. That is
the question. How can these things be? That is the foundational question
that every religion is built on. Every single religion, every
doctrine, every belief, every church, religious organization
is started and attended based on this question. How can these
things be? Every denomination has a different
answer for that question, every single one. It's the question
that causes all the strife, all the strife. This question is
the reason every town doesn't just have one church building,
one church building for the whole town to attend. This is the question that separates
truth from error. There's only one truth. Just
one truth. There's only one true answer.
You know, that's a fact for every single thing that happens in
the universe. Put a witness on the stand in
a courtroom and ask him, what happened? What'd you say? There's only one truth. How can
you be sure it's the truth? Put two or three witnesses on
the stand. They'll all say exactly the same thing. Verse nine says,
Nicodemus answered and said unto him, how can these things be? Now if we want to know the truth
to this question, we need to do the same thing Nicodemus has
just done. He's asking the one man who knows
the answer. The Lord Jesus Christ said, I
am the truth. If we want to know the truth,
we go to the source, the truth himself. Nicodemus answered and
said unto him, how can these things be? Jesus answered and
said unto him, art thou a master of Israel? And knowest not these
things?" The highest religious authority in Israel was called
the Sanhedrin. They had everybody's respect. They had everybody's attention.
They were revered as the authority on God. This would be just like
the Pope sneaking out of the Vatican. coming to the Lord and
the Lord saying, you're the Pope and you don't know the answer
to this question? It takes a lot more than education and morality
and sincerity to know the answer to this question. It takes a
lot more than a degree. It takes a lot more than doing
good all your life, giving your life to this. It takes a lot
more than that. Ephesians chapter four, if you're
turning with me, turn over to Ephesians chapter four. Verse
17 says, this I say therefore and testify in the Lord that
you henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of
their mind, having the understanding darkened. being alienated from
the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the
blindness of their heart. The Lord says, Nicodemus, are
you this ignorant? Proverbs 4.19 says, the way of
the wicked is as darkness. They know not at what they stumble. No idea. Turn with me over to
John chapter 12. John chapter 12 verses 35 and
36 say this, Then Jesus said unto them, Yet
a little while is the light with you. Walk while you have the
light, lest darkness come upon you. For he that walketh in darkness
knoweth not whither he goeth. While you have light, believe
in the light, that you may be the children of light. These
things spake Jesus and departed and did hide himself from them. The Lord asked Nicodemus, you're
a teacher? And you haven't even been taught
these things? Does the world need to hear this
or not? You know, just because a preacher has graduated from
some theological institution, that doesn't mean he's been taught
of God. Not at all. John 6, verse 44, our Lord said,
No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me
draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written
in the prophets, and they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath
heard and hath learned of the Father cometh unto me." If a
man is not taught of God, if he's not taught the answer to
this question, how can these things be? He's never going to
know the true answer if he's not taught of God. Well, back to our text in John
chapter three, verse nine says, Nicodemus answered and said unto
him, how can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto
him, art thou a master of Israel and knowest not these things?
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, we speak that we do know. and testify that we have seen,
and you receive not our witness." Can you imagine hearing the Lord
preach? You talk about an eyewitness
account. The Lord would say things like this, the kingdom of heaven
is like. Well, he's given an eyewitness
account, a true testimony. Verse 11, he said, verily, verily,
I say unto thee, we speak that we do know and testify that we
have seen and you receive not our witness. What is our witness? What have we seen? Christ. Christ in the word. We've seen
his glory in the word. We've seen his authority in the
word. We've seen his sovereignty in
the word. We've seen his holiness, his
righteousness, his ability. We've seen him, him in the word. We haven't seen a way. We've seen the way. We haven't
seen a truth. We've seen the truth. We haven't
seen a better life. We've seen the life, the life. We speak that we do know. Paul said, I know whom I have
believed and am persuaded that he is able. That's what we know. He is able,
I'm not able to do anything, I know that too. I am not able,
I know that. I cannot save myself, I know
that. I am persuaded that he is able. Because he is able, I believe
and I know whom I have believed. Turn with me over to John chapter
five. Verse 40 says, you will not come to me that you might
have life. I receive not honor from men,
but I know you that you have not the love of God in you. I
am come in my father's name and you receive me not. If another
shall come in his own name, him you will receive. How can you
believe? which receive honor one of another,
and seek not the honor that cometh from God only." God only. If we don't believe His Word,
the witness of His Word, we will continue in darkness and ignorance. How blind we are by nature, so
blind. Not only can we not see, we will
not see." Twice blind, he said, you will not come to me. But
if the Lord and his mercy and goodness will give us eyes of
faith. eyes to see and believe God's
word, God's word, God's witness. If he will give us light and
understanding and cause us to walk in that light, he'll give
us more light. The Lord told Nicodemus, the
light you need to begin with is this. You don't know anything. Walk in the light and knowledge
of the fact that you don't know anything. You're blind and you're
ignorant. I know that to be so about myself.
I really do. In and of my flesh, I'm blind
and I'm ignorant. I can't see. My eyes of faith,
if I have eyes of faith, they had to be given to me. I was
dead. I was blind. I was ignorant. Any wisdom is Christ himself. He is wisdom. Christ in a man. Outside of Christ, I'm blind.
I'm ignorant. Verse 12 says, In our text, if
I have told you earthly things and you believe not, how shall
you believe if I tell you of heavenly things? What were the
earthly things the Lord just told Nicodemus? Well, he told
him, you must be born again. That's something that happens
to a sinner while he's here on this earth. And it's something
that the Spirit of God does, and only the Spirit of God does. That's the one and only truth
of the matter. Salvation is of the Lord. Look at verse 8. It says, The wind bloweth where
it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst
not tell whence it cometh, or whither it goeth. So is every
one that is born of the Spirit. Everyone. Man has no part in
it. No part. Nicodemus heard that
from the mouth of the word of God, the witness of God. And
it had been recorded in the written word for him to study his entire
life. Turn with me over to Ezekiel
chapter 36. Ezekiel 36 verse 24 says this,
I will take you from among the heathen and gather you of all
countries and will bring you into your own land. Then will
I sprinkle clean water upon you and you shall be clean from all
your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you.
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I
put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your
flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh, and I will put
my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and
you shall keep my judgments and do them. I will take you from
among the heathen. I will cleanse you. I will give
you a new heart. I will take out your old stony
heart. I will put my spirit in you and
cause you to walk. The Lord tells Nicodemus, if
you don't believe these earthly things, what good would it do
for me to tell you about heavenly things, about the mind and the
counsel of God? about the mystery of grace, free
grace, about the things that God has prepared for them that
love him. I hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered
into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them
that love him. You can't imagine, you can't
imagine. Well, Nicodemus asked this question,
and we all ought to ask this question. How can these things
be? How can a person be born again? How can a person enter into the
kingdom of God? The Lord is about to answer Nicodemus.
He says, first you need to know this. Our text, John chapter
three, verse 13 says, no man hath ascended up to heaven, but
he that came down from heaven, even the son of man, which is
in heaven. The first thing you need to know,
Nicodemus, is God is holy. Man is sinful. And no man hath ascended up to
heaven. No man is worthy. No man. No man has the right, the right
to walk through the gates of the kingdom of heaven, but except
he that came down from heaven, the son of man. The Son of Man
is the Son of God. The Son of Man is God. Jesus Christ is God. He alone is sinless. He alone is holy. He alone is worthy to walk right
on in. And verse 14 says, as Moses lifted
up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the son of man be
lifted up. That's how Nicodemus, that's
how, how can these things be? As Moses lifted up the serpent
in the wilderness, Even so, must the Son of Man be lifted up." He said, do you remember that
story about all those fiery serpents, those snakes that were biting
the people? Nicodemus, do you know why that
story was written? It was written to show how a
sinner can be born again. born again to inherit the kingdom
of God. That's why it was written. Turn
with me over to Numbers chapter 21. Numbers chapter 21, the first
nine verses say this, and when King Arad, the Canaanite, which
dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of
the spies, Then he fought against Israel, and took some of them
prisoners. And Israel vowed a vow unto the
Lord, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into
my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities. And the
Lord hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the
Canaanites, and they utterly destroyed them and their cities.
And he called the name of the place Hormah. And they journeyed
from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea to compass the land
of Edom. And the soul of the people was
much discouraged because of the way. And the people spake against
God and against Moses. Wherefore have you brought us
up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread. Neither is there any water, and
our soul loatheth this light bread. And the Lord sent fiery
serpents among the people, and they bit the people, and much
people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to
Moses and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the
Lord and against thee. pray unto the Lord that he take
away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
And the Lord said unto Moses, make thee a fiery serpent and
set it upon a pole. And it shall come to pass that
every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass,
and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass that if a serpent
had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived."
Nicodemus, those fiery serpents are sin. Sin and the judgment of sin. Sin is what is killing the people. That is why we are dying today. That is why funeral homes stay
in business. It's because of sin. The wages
of sin is death. Sin is what has caused us to
die. Sin is the reason we must be
born again. Sin is the reason we cannot enter
into the kingdom of God. It's sin. That's our problem. And the precious, spotless Son
of God, the Son of Man, who came down from heaven, just as Moses
lifted up the serpent, just as Moses lifted up the very thing
that was killing the people, Even so, must the precious Son
of Man become the very thing that's gonna kill you, Nicodemus? Your sin. He must become your
sin. How can these things be? The precious, spotless son of
man must become your sin and then be lifted up on a pole. There's a song that says, lifted
up was he to die. Lifted up. You see, Nicodemus,
you have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling
of your infirmities. Those sins that you bear, Nicodemus,
those are the same sins he bore. All of the sins I've committed
in my life, the sins that grieve me, the sins that cause me so
much guilt, the sins that I'm so sorry for. If God chose me,
if he chose to save this sinner, salvations of the Lord, of his
own will begat he us. If I am one of God's elect, one
that God the Father chose to give to God the Son, then every
sin that I have committed was laid on him. He bore my sin. He carried my
grief. Numbers 21 verse 9 says, as Moses
made a serpent of brass and put it upon a pole and it came to
pass that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent
of brass, he lived. He lived. All he had to do was
look. Have you ever tried to show somebody
something and you're pointing at it? And they say, I don't
see it. Well, are you looking? Yes, I'm
looking. Well, the good news to dying
sinners is God didn't say all who can see the serpent, what
if something was in the way? Something is hindering me. Something
is blocking my view. Can you see it? No. Do you want
to see it? Yes. Do you need to see it? Yes. Is seeing it your only hope? Yes. Just look. Look and live. Look with your
heart. It's there. Trust it. Believe it. Believe on the name
of the Lord and thou shalt be saved. What's his name? Savior. Can you see all the details? Can you see all the lines? Can
you comprehend the whole thing? No. Just look. Look and live,
my brother. Live. Look to Jesus Christ and
live. Tis recorded in his word. Hallelujah. It is only that you look and
live. John wrote that which we have
seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon. That's something
else. Looked to, trusted in. You know the sad truth is, I'm
sure there were many who were bitten right at the foot of that
pole. And they saw it, but they didn't look to it. They didn't
believe on it. They didn't trust in it. They
thought, that's foolishness. Our text in John chapter 3 verse
14 says, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even
so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have eternal life. Life, born again. Believing is called faith, and
faith is not of yourself, it's the gift of God. Even believing is the work of
God. Salvation is of the Lord, but whoever he was lifted up
for. whoever he became sin for, whosoever he's given the precious
gift of faith to, whosoever believeth in him, who he is and what he's
done shall not perish, shall never die, but is going to have
eternal life. That's how these things can be. 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.