TV: The Certainty of Salvation

Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church, located at 2709 Rock Springs Road in Kingsport, Tennessee, would like to invite you to listen to a message of Sovereign Grace by their pastor, Gabe Stoniker. For information and service times, visit www.ksgc.church. And now, Gabe Stoniker.

I would like to bring a message to you from Psalm 55. If you would like to follow along, Psalm 55. And this message is coming from one word in one particular verse. And I want to begin the message by showing you that one word. It's in verse 22. Psalm 55, verse 22 says, cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." The word that grabbed my attention is never. The word never. Verse 22 again says, cast that burden upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. That's good news, isn't it? That is good news.

What struck me about that word was the absolute certainty of it. That's what I love about God's word, the absolute certainty of it. I was reading this portion of scripture and I ran across this verse and ran across this word and I entered into the absolute certainty of salvation, the certainty that God's people have in Christ. Salvation is certain. I know that men like to portray it in a way that makes it iffy and makes it shaky and salvation is certain. God's word is certain on it. God has given a dogmatic security to his people.

And I want to use that word dogmatic, dogmatic security in the Lord Jesus Christ. The message of the gospel is certain good news for every soul in Christ. That's the key. That's the key to it all. Every soul in Christ. For every soul in Christ, it is not a possibility of good news. And again, that's how men like to portray it there.

Well, there's a possibility you could be saved. Now there's a possibility you could be lost. Not in Christ. It's not a possibility of good news. It's not conditional good news. Based on how God's people respond to it, a lot of men like to lie that way to people. They like to stand in pulpits and say, now there's good news out there as long as you will or as long as you want. It's conditional. That's not the truth. God's Word is here to tell all of us. That is not the truth. Every time a true preacher stands and declares God's Word to God's people, it is certain good news for them. Certain. In Christ, I have certain good news for you. And here's the reason why.

It's because the truth of the gospel is a declaration that has nothing to do with God's people. Every time a true preacher stands up and declares the certain good news of God to his people, it is certain because it has nothing to do with them. The message of the gospel has nothing to do with you. It has nothing to do with me. It has nothing to do with you at all.

It has everything to do with the Lord, our God. This declaration, the gospel has everything to do with the Lord, our God only. The gospel. is a declaration, the certainty of salvation. Okay. It's a declaration of something that was made before God's people without God's people in spite of God's people. That's what salvation is. It's something that took place before God's people. It's a decision that God made before God's people, without God's people, in spite of God's people. It's a declaration that needs no response. It needs no response. It is a declaration that has no possibility of being altered or changed. The Declaration is not waiting on anyone to do anything with it. You know, now the Declaration's gone out.

What are you going to do with it? I'll tell you, you're not going to do anything with it. You're dead in trespasses and sins. If anything's going to be done, God Almighty's going to have to do it. He's going to have to quicken you. He's going to have to call you. He's going to have to draw you. That's God's Word.

This declaration is a sovereign word from the sovereign God that no one can question. You know how people like to go, hold on now, wait a minute. People can do that all they want to, but it's to no avail. It means nothing. No one can question His declaration. No one can hinder His declaration. I hear people lie from pulpits all the time, telling men and women, now God has a wonderful plan for your life as long as you won't mess it up and the devil won't mess it up. No one can hinder His declaration. No one can hinder His work. No one can hinder His salvation. No one can make it void.

I hear men lie all the time. They'll stand in pulpits and say, now God saved you, but you can lose it. You'll lose your salvation. I'm telling you, that's not true. What God does is forever, the scripture says. His redemption is an eternal redemption, the scripture says. Father, I finished the work. I saved our people. None of them are lost, our Lord Jesus Christ said. If God says in His Word, I will and you shall, then He will and we shall. Period. Period. That is the gospel. That is our gospel.

And I'll tell you, that's wonderful news. It is truly wonderful news because everything that God has said concerning his people is good and certain. It's wonderful news because it's certain. Verse 22 says, cast thy burden upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee.

He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. The righteous, you say, well, there's the condition, the righteous. What does the scripture say about all men and women on this earth? There's none righteous. No, not one. There's none that do with good. Christ is the righteous one. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. God's people are only righteous in him, by him, because of him. So in Christ, there is certainty. There's certainty. Now, let me show you some certainties that involve this word never. We're just going to stay on the word never for just a moment here. Here are some certain dogmatic declarations that include or repeat this word never. I hope you're following with me. Let's go to John chapter six. John chapter six. Verse 35, it says, And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life.

He that cometh to me shall never hunger. And he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Now, those of you who have Christ, if your hope is Christ, if you are looking to Christ, if the Spirit of God has taught you that there is nothing in the flesh to look at but sin, and there's no hope here, there's no hope in our decisions, there's no hope in our works, Christ is everything, the only thing. Those of you who have had Christ revealed to you, and those of you who have come to Christ by way of the Father drawing you, right here in John 6, verse 44, it says, no man can come to me except the Father which has sent me draw him. And I'll raise him up at the last day. So if we come to Christ, the Father drew us to Christ.

And those of you who have been brought to Christ, tell me, Spiritually speaking, does Christ satisfy your spiritual hunger? Does he satisfy your spiritual thirst? Is he enough? Can we say it that way? Spiritually speaking, those of you who have seen Christ and been caused to lay hold of Christ, is he enough?

If he is, I'm going to tell you this, he always will be. If you can say Christ is enough, Christ is all I need. I don't have my works, but I don't need my works because I have his. If he is enough, he always will be. Spiritually speaking, is there anything other than Christ that you are spiritually hungering and thirsting for? God's people will say no. No, I have certainty in him. I have all I need in him. If that's the case, it will always be that way.

There will never be anything other than Christ that we need. There will never be anything else than Christ that we need. Verse 35, Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst, never. Right here in verse 37, he said, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me, because the Father will draw all of them. And he said, him that cometh to me, or her that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out."

No wise means never. Never. I'll never. If the Father has drawn you to Christ and in your heart you're saying, I need Christ. I desire Christ. I must have Christ. He's my only salvation. Therefore, in my heart, I'm coming to Him. Never cast out. Never.

In John chapter 10, turn with me over to John chapter 10, verse 27, he said, my sheep, not the goats, not every soul on this earth is a sheep of Christ. Only his elect are called sheep. In the last day, he said, I'm going to divide the sheep from the goats. The goats are going to be cast out, but to the sheep, I'm going to say, welcome in. And he said in verse 27, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My father which gave them me is greater than all and no man is able to pluck them out of my father's hand. He said it's never going to happen. Never. Look at John 11. John 11, verse 23.

Jesus said unto Martha, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Lazarus had died, and he said unto her, Martha, thy brother shall rise again. Martha said unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection. and the life.

He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die." Never die. One more here in this little run over in Hebrews 13. Verse five says, Hebrews 13 verse five, it says, let your conversation be without covetousness and be content with such things as you have. For he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. Never. That's good news, isn't it? That's certainty. That is dogmatic certainty. He said, I will never cast out the ones that my father has drawn to me. Never. He said they will never perish. They will never die. Because I will never leave them. I'll never forsake them. Never.

And here is the reason why. Why will he say never concerning these things? Here's the reason why. It's because he was forsaken for them. He said, I will never forsake them. And it's because he was forsaken for them on the cross of Calvary. He cried, my God, my God, why has thou forsaken me? He said, I'll never forsake you because I was forsaken for you. He was cast out for His people.

He said, I'll never cast you out because He was cast out of the presence of the Father and the unity of the Father and the Spirit. Isaiah 53 says He was cut off out of the land of the living. That's amazing, isn't it? I'll never cast you out because I was cast out for you. I was cast out in your place. He perished for his people. He said, they shall never perish. Why? He perished for them. They shall never die. Why? He died for them. He died for his people.

And that is what Psalm 55 spiritually illustrates for us. We started this message over in Psalm 55. If you're looking with me, go back over there to Psalm 55. You know, the scripture is a picture of Christ. And often the Psalms especially, these Psalms point us to Christ and they are the very words of Christ himself. And we see Christ in these Psalms.

And that's what we see here. David is the one who penned this. And it was at a time of his own trouble and his own betrayal and his own distress. He was enduring some things. That's true. But this was not written to point us to David. These words right here are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ in his moment of being cast out of the favor of the Father. These are His words while He was being forsaken by God the Father and suffering the perishing death of the cross, all because He was bearing our sins, bearing the sins of His selected people. Because Christ endured the fullness of this, what we're about to read, I'm going to just read this Psalm. That's why his promise of redemption and his promise of salvation, his promise of security for his people. That's why it's so dogmatic. It's because he endured this. This is why it's so certain. That absolute certainty is built on this transaction right here.

OK, let's listen to our Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane. We can hear him. In the garden, we hear Him in His condemnation. We hear Him from the cross. We hear Him in His death. We hear Him in His resurrected victory. We can hear Him in all of this. All right, Psalm 55, verse 1, it says, Give ear to my prayer." And again, let's hear Christ in this, hear His words in this. Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not thyself from my supplication. Attend unto me and hear me.

I mourn in my complaint and make a noise. Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked, that's us, that was me and you, the wicked. Our sins, the sins of His people oppressed Him. Because of the oppression of the wicked, for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me.

Is that not amazing? Is that not amazing? All of our iniquity was laid on him. And in that process, the scripture says all of his people hated him. You say, well, no, I don't hate him. God says we did. God says we did. The scripture says he came unto his own and his own received him not. You say, well, that was at the time of his life on earth. Yes, that was at the time of His life on earth. But if God left us in our natural condition, that is us right now. That is all men and women by nature.

They do not want to receive the things of Christ. They want to receive the things of self. They don't want His decision. They want their own decision. They don't want His salvation. They want their own salvation. They don't want His works. They want their own works. They do not want His glory. They want their own glory. This is man by nature.

He said, they hated me. And how sad is that? How sad is it that we by nature despised him, rejected him, hid our faces from him. All we like sheep walked away, went astray. By our own sinful natures, we esteemed him not. Yet for us, he was stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. I'm telling you, we would have been the very ones that were wagging our heads at him, cursing him, spitting on him in this moment of his dying hour. But the scripture says he allowed himself to be led as a lamb to the slaughter for his people to redeem his people from everything that they were. Father, forgive them. They know not what they do. They don't know what they are. Verse four right here.

He said, My heart is sore pained within me and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. All of our iniquity was laid on him. Therefore, the terror of death was laid on him. The terror of death. Verse five, he said, fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me. And I said, oh, that I had wings like a dove, for then would I fly away and be at rest. Lo, then would I wander far off and remain in the wilderness. I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.

Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues, for I have seen violence and strife in the city." That cry to destroy is in himself. Our Lord said his face like a flint. When he was enduring all that horror and all that terror, he said, Father, if it be possible that this cup could pass from me, let it pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will, thine be done. because their destruction in me is their only hope. This is their only hope. Father, destroy everything that they naturally are in me. Verse 10 says day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof.

Mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it. wickedness is in the midst thereof deceit and guile depart from not from her streets for it was not an enemy that reproached me then could i have borne it neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me then i would have hit myself from him you know judas was the one who betrayed our lord It goes on to say, verse 13, it was thou a man mine equal, mine guide and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together and walked unto the house of God in company. Judas was the one that betrayed our Lord. Therefore, the Lord said it wasn't an open enemy that betrayed me. It was one who was supposed to be my friend. And but for the grace of God. Every single one of us would have done the same thing. All of our names could go right there.

Verse 15, he said, Let death seize upon them and let them go down quick into hell for wickedness is in their dwellings and among them. We're either going to endure this condemnation in Christ or out of Christ. Our hope is in Christ, only in the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 16, he said, As for me, I will call upon God and the Lord shall save me. He will not leave my soul in hell, Christ said, nor suffer his holy one to suffer condemnation. Verse 17, he said, Evening and morning and at noon will I pray and cry aloud.

He shall hear my voice. Verse 18 says, He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, for there were many with me. Victory. That's a dogmatic victory. Our Lord said, You cry unto Jerusalem that her warfare is accomplished. It's over. I finished it. It's done.

Verse 19, God shall hear and afflict them, even he that abideth of old, because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God. He hath put forth his hands against such as be at peace with him. He has broken his covenant. This is man. Broken his covenant. The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart. His words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords. Now this was man and therefore this is what makes this announcement of salvation so glorious. This is what it makes it so wonderful for all of God's people who had no hope in themselves. All right. Listen to this. Verse 22 says cast that burden upon the Lord and he shall sustain the.

HE SHALL NEVER SUFFER THE RIGHTEOUS TO BE MOVED. WHAT HE DELIVERED HIS PEOPLE FROM AND WHAT HE DELIVERED HIS PEOPLE TO, NO MATTER HOW SINFUL OUR NATURAL SINFUL NATURE IS, HE WILL NEVER LET US BE MOVED FROM THAT PLACE OF REDEMPTION. NEVER. We are safe forever.

Verse 23 says, But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction. Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days, but I will trust in thee. Christ said that for his people. Outside of Christ, it's condemnation. But in Christ, he said, I will do all the trusting for them that they need.

If he is in charge of our trusting, we're safe. We are safe in him, with him. We are safe. How secure is a believer's salvation? Here's the answer. However secure Christ is, that's how secure they are. His security is certain. His security is dogmatic. And in Him, so is ours. To Him be the glory. Amen.

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 call or write to the number and address on your screen or visit www.ksgc.church. Tune in at this same time next week for another message of God's free and sovereign grace.

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TV: The Certainty of Salvation

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