 The means of grace is the sermon for this evening and by way of introduction to this essential truth of our faith, hear a proverb and consider an illustration with me. Proverbs 28-19 says, He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows frivolity will have poverty enough. So an illustration. One two farmers, one named Mr. Plenty and the other named Mr. Poverty. Like the proverb, Mr. Plenty exercises the critical means of farming, which lead to the blessing of plenty of bread, whereas Mr. Poverty does not exercise the critical means of farming and is left with poverty. Is it not God who gives the increase from the crops? Then why does one piece of land bear an abundance of fruit and the other little to none? The answer lies in the means of farming through which God ordinarily blesses. Mr. Plenty weeded, tilled, sowed generously and watered. And although these means were not the source of Mr. Plenty's harvest, that glory belonging to God alone, it was precisely through these means which God was pleased to provide. On the other hand, Mr. Poverty let his weeds remain. He refused to till his land and he sowed sparingly and watered little. Therefore he reaped little to none precisely because he neglected to implement the means of farming through which God ordinarily blesses a crop. This illustration concerns agriculture, but serves to introduce the means of grace for the Christian life. We know the means of farming and their importance to farming. However, what are the means of grace in living the Christian life? And through what biblical means does God give grace in the Christian life and sanctify as people? So tonight in an outline we're going to look at a representative definition of the means of grace and then the necessity of the means of grace and some application of the means of grace. And the text that I would like to use as a starting point is Acts 242. So if you would please turn there. And I expect and plan to use a lot of text because the means are plural and there's not one exhaustive place in the Bible that's going to go through all the means so you're going to have to look at many texts to get even a representative list of the means of grace. So be ready with your Bibles. So Acts 242 and they continue steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship in the breaking of bread and in prayers. This text only shows four means of grace and will be representative for this sermon. The Baptist Catechism which describes the word baptism, the Lord's Supper and prayer as means of grace is an example of others that have attempted to list those means. However, here being for Baptist Catechism recognizing for the means by which God gives grace in living the Christian life are many such as teaching and preaching of the word baptism, the Lord's Supper, prayer, worship, church discipline, giving, spiritual gifts, fellowship and evangelism. So as we focus on a few tonight, remember that it's representative and not comprehensive. So let's look at Acts 242 and just remind ourselves of the context and look a little more closely at this verse before we go elsewhere. In Acts chapter 1 verse 8, Jesus Christ said to the disciples, you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth. That serves as like a table of contents for the book of Acts and you can easily divide the book up into the ministries into those areas and categorize it thematically as the work of the Holy Spirit through the apostles. Well exactly as Jesus said came to pass in Acts 2 verse 1, when the day of Pentecost had fully come they were all with one accord in one place and there suddenly came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And then there appeared to them divided tongues as a fire one sat on each of them and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. And what was it that they were saying in verse 11? We hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God and as you look and see what the apostles preach in the book of Acts you'll see that it centers on Christ. So the wonderful works of God in relation to Jesus Christ. After this miraculous event people accuse these foreign tongues as drunkenness and Peter uses that as an opportunity to preach the first sermon recorded in Acts. And in verse 22 he says, men of Israel hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth a man attested by God to you by miracles wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst as you yourselves also know him being delivered by the eternal purpose of foreknowledge of God you have taken by lawless hands and crucified and put to death whom God has raised up. And he goes on from there to proclaim more of the gospel about how it was fulfilling of the scriptures that he would raise. After this sermon and with many other words he testified be saved from this perverse generation and those who gladly received his word were baptized and that day about 3,000 souls were added to them. And from that day they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine, fellowship and the breaking of bread and in prayers. What I want you to see there is the promise of the spirit, the coming of the spirit, the preaching of the gospel, the salvation of sinners and then following the salvation of these believers, the practice of these means. The means of grace are the outworking of our salvation. They're the fruit of the root being in Christ. We're going to participate and employ the means of grace in our life as Christians by the very relation that we have to God in Jesus Christ. We have a new heart. So let's look at Acts 242, the apostles doctrine. What is this? The apostles doctrine in context centers on Christ just as the entire word of God does. In the days of the apostles as their ministry began they were considered to be teaching something new and contrary to the Bible at that time. Acts 4 verse 16 saying, what shall we do to these men for indeed that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem and we cannot deny it. But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them that from now on they speak to no man in this name, the name of Jesus. So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God you judge for we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. Turn to Acts 528 saying, did we not strictly command you to not teach in this name and look you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine and intend to bring this man's blood on us. So the apostles doctrine centered on Jesus Christ. The problem was that the Jews rejected their own Messiah in their blind suppression of the truth and of the oracles of God which they already had. With the coming of Christ the light came into the world and men loved the darkness rather than the light. However, the scriptures always testified to Jesus Christ. John 539, you search the scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life but it is these which testify of me. And the apostles are now proclaiming it with boldness by the power of the Holy Spirit from the Father and the ascended Christ. All of the New Testament is what was written during and through the apostles time of ministry. So if you think about the New Testament itself when was it written? Who was it written by? It's the apostles doctrine. It's the doctrine that is laid on the foundation of Christ or the cornerstone being Christ they laying the foundation. And going further, the New Testament is the fulfillment and progression of the Old Testament. The Old Testament was preparatory and it was patterned after the New Testament realities. So the apostles doctrine was essentially the correct interpretation and teaching of all special revelation including the Old Testament which Paul would later use to refute the Jews. The word of God brothers and sisters is an indispensable means of grace. So when we hear apostles doctrine we shouldn't think small we should think of the entire word of God. So turn with me to John 17 and I'm going to start in verse 14. I have given them your word and the world has hated them because they are not of the world just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that you should take them out of the world but that you should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world I have I also have sent them into the world and for their sake I sanctify myself that they also may be sanctified by the truth. Here very plainly and clearly the truth is the word. The word is the truth. How are we sanctified by truth? And the word is truth. This is an indispensable means of God's grace by which we are sanctified. When you hear grace what do you think of? It can be a very broad word and mean various things in various contexts but essentially it is the benefits promised by God in salvation by virtue of being in union with Christ and those benefits that we receive which begin with our regeneration, our new life in Christ are then further communicated in various graces throughout our life as Christians as we overcome sin and grow in maturity. So God's grace is him blessing us according to the work of his son and in union with his son by the Spirit. And God does that by the means of his word. Look at Psalm 119 verse 9. How can a young man cleanse his way by taking heed according to your word? That by shows the means. That way by what means will he cleanse his way by taking heed according to the word? One wise for salvation and for living the Christian life. So that the man of God is equipped, thoroughly equipped for every good work. So let's move back to Acts 242 and go to fellowship. The word fellowship in context is Koinonia in the Greek and this is the only use of that word in the whole book of Acts. The term is mostly used by Paul and if you remember Luke is the author of Acts. In context though it means close association involving mutual interests and sharing. Other words for it would be association, communion and close relationship. This word Koinonia was commonly used by Greek speakers in this day to reference the relationship that exists in marriage. It was a commonly used word to reference the type of mutuality that exists in marriage. Fellowship. If 2 Corinthians 6, if you look there, 14, do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what Koinonia, what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? And what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. There is a lot of synonyms happening there that will help teach you what that word Koinonia is. It's using a negative light like what relation they don't have, these are things that don't have fellowship with each other. And it's not talking about Christian fellowship as much as it's talking about various things like light and darkness, righteousness and lawlessness, Christ and Belial. But the point I want you to see here is learn what this word fellowship means from this context. Other synonyms for it are communion here, accord, part. When you don't have a part with the household of God, then you can't say you're in fellowship with it. If you're not in communion with the people of God, you can't say you're in fellowship with them. If you're not in agreement with the household of God, you can't say that you're in fellowship with it. These are words to help us get an understanding of what fellowship means, and it's a means of grace. Another text, 2 Corinthians 8, it shows the word, we'll look there, 2 Corinthians 8, 4, imploring us with much urgency that we should receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And I'll read earlier, for I bear witness that according to their ability, yes and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we should receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. This is Macedonia out of their need providing for the church, Paul's deliverance of it to the church in Jerusalem. And they call it the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. Fellowship in sharing life and communion with one another involves serving, bearing one another's burdens. It's not merely conversation. Also in Philippians 1-5, for I thank God, I'm reading from verse 3, I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine, making requests for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, for your fellowship which exists in the gospel. Fellowship is based on and related to the gospel. It's a spiritual fellowship by the Holy Spirit in union with Christ. Albert Martin said, fellowship is not simply sitting in the same seats or under the same roof or on the same day being together. Fellowship is shared life. How can we carry each other's burdens if we do not get them out there where we can see them and put our shoulder underneath them? That's fellowship. Let's Acts 242, breaking of bread and the breaking of bread. It's not clear whether breaking of bread, that phrase, is a reference to the ordinance of the Lord's Supper, the Lord's table, or is reference to a common meal, or is a general to include both in Luke 2435 and they told about the things that had happened on the road and how he was known to them in the breaking of bread. That's not talking about the Lord's Supper. That's talking about a common meal and it's used, the phrase is used, breaking of bread. But go back to Acts 20, verse 7, now on the first day of the week, Sunday, which is the resurrection day, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until night. That right there, I understand in comparison also to 1 Corinthians 11 to be the Lord's Supper, breaking bread particularly on the first day. In 1 Corinthians 11, verse 17 and following, there's this practice of the Lord's Supper on the first day and they're coming hungry and getting drunk ahead of others. So they're selfish and that they don't care about the Lord's Supper together and then they're getting drunk on the day. So what that helps us to learn is from history is that they didn't practice the Lord's Supper exactly like we do. We don't feel our hunger through the Lord's Supper. But the Lord's Supper would be administered in the midst of a meal that was actually used for hunger. They're like, meal, practice the Lord's Supper together. That's why it's not easy to know if that verse is referencing one or both. In Acts 242, it could reference common meals or be inclusive of practicing the Lord's Supper in the larger context of eating both common meals and meals on the first day of the week which would include the Lord's Supper at some frequency. Either way, we only need reference other texts to know that the Lord's Supper is an ordinance. And in considering the ordinance of the Lord's Supper, it's fitting we include the ordinance of baptism to consider both. For the sake of moving, I want to just summarize. The Lord's Supper, seen in Luke 2219, where the Lord said, and I'll read that, Luke 2219, and he took bread and gave thanks and broke it and gave it to them saying, this is my body which was given for you, do this in remembrance of me. Likewise, he also took the cup after the Supper saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood which is shed for you. The Lord's Supper is instituted by the Lord Himself and is a means of grace by which we are to remember His work for us. In the remembrance of and edification that comes by that remembrance of the Lord's work on our behalf and atoning for our sins, we are sanctified. We grow in grace. And the Lord's Supper is anticipatory because he actually will not partake of the fruit of the vine until he returns with us. So it causes us to look ahead to the consummation of what his death pointed to and achieved. Matthew 2819, you see baptism, go therefore make disciples of all nations, baptizing them, immersing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Baptism is also an ordinance given by Christ and is a means of grace. In the practice of baptism, God communicates grace to us and our growth in the fruit of the Spirit and our dependence on the Lord, our edification. It symbolically testifies of salvation. In regeneration, one is come alive. He's made a new creation and he's cleansed, purified by being indwelt by the Spirit. And the baptism symbolizes both the coming alive and the cleansing. And then the testimony and regenerative work that's being testified of is identifying one as part of the body of Christ. So baptism proclaims salvation and identifies us with Christ and his body. In the next means of grace, Acts 242, we have prayer and prayer is broad. It should be practiced privately and publicly just as with the word. However, to be succinct, I'll read our confession. What is prayer? Prayer is an offering up our desires to God by the assistance of the Holy Spirit for things agreeable to his will in the name of Christ, believing with confession of our sins and thankful acknowledgments of his mercies. Essentially, it is an offering up of our desire, our holy desires to God. Prayer begins with holy desires. Holy desires begin with the work of the spirit in our heart. And yet it is our responsibility to pray according to those holy desires. Prayer should be practiced both privately and publicly. If you want to learn more about it, I know Tyler has been teaching on it and I think that that's been recorded on the Lord's Prayer. Also, our confession deals with that one I read there deals with multiple verses as reference to support that definition. But I'm going to continue moving because I want to get to the next point, the necessity of the means of grace. Why are let me ask some questions. Why are these means of grace important? And I don't want to create any doubt. I want to ask questions that men ask, not sanctified men. Are they necessary? Can someone substitute the reading and hearing of the word of God with watching Christian movies and plays? Incorporate worship. May we not substitute singing with miming? And what about fellowship? Can't we just stay in our homes alone until Sunday and show up for a few hours and be okay without fellowship? Why are the ordinances of the Lord's Supper and baptism important? Are they necessary? The means of grace given in scripture are not only important far beyond the degree of those questions and what they imply, but they are indispensable necessary for effective growth and sanctification in the Christian life. No one can possibly effectively grow in grace apart from God's appointed means. Why? Because God has revealed, according to His pleasure, the specific means through which He will communicate the grace of the new covenant and our sanctification. This truth is not merely proven by the regulative principle and the second commandment you shall not make for yourself a carved image, which commands us how we are to worship God. We cannot, it's true, we cannot mime in place of singing hymns and spiritual songs because God has not commanded Himself to be worshipped this way. That's true. And we can't trade movies for the word of God because God commands His word to be preached, heard, read, and studied. That's true. The regulative principle and the second commandment in how God is worshiped is answers those rhetorical or demeaning questions sufficiently. However, God reveals more than just those facts as to why they're necessary. The regular principle and the second commandment inform us sufficiently and inform us sufficiently as to why the means of grace are necessary and yet there is more and I want to show you that. So let's look at Romans 15, 14. Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you are also full of goodness, filled with all knowledge. I'm sorry, it's not 14, it's verse four. For whatever things were written before were written for our learning that we, through patience and comfort of the scriptures, might have hope. Think with me about what is being said here. The word of God is a means by which we grow in grace. And from this text it says very clearly that through patience and comfort which come from the scriptures we might have hope. God intends to give His people hope and that by the scriptures God intends to bless and has specifically tied himself to blessing through the scriptures and hope is nurtured and grown by a person that employs this means of grace. Look with me at Romans 12, 15 and then we'll go to Galatians 6, 2. Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep, speaking of fellowship. Rejoice of fellowship is not always saying words to people. It could be just rejoicing with them or weeping with them. And we know made in God's image what it is when someone, I hope you know, comes with you and rejoices with you. Comes alongside you and weeps with you and carries your burden with you. When you are edified and comforted and encouraged with that fellowship that comes from another believer, that's God comforting you. That's God giving you joy. And He's doing it through the means of the fellowship of that brother or that sister. Fellowship is the means by which God comforts His people. Go to Galatians 6, 2. Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. The law of Christ, the law of God, intends, has a purpose to bear other people's burdens and when we employ bearing other people's burdens in fellowship, we are fulfilling the intent for which God gave it and it is to support and strengthen and comfort His people. That's another reason why you cannot go home and just practice the Christian life alone and come here one day a week, hear a sermon and go home. We have to have life on life. We must share life because God, and we could go to Romans 12 talking about the nature of the body and its parts. We're not individually, we're individually members of one another or 1 Corinthians 12 as well. The hand can't say it doesn't have need, the eye can't say it doesn't have need of the hand and so forth. Look at James 4-2 with prayer and I'm going to start in one. Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that warren your members? You lust and do not have, you murder and covet and cannot obtain, you fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because you ask a miss that you may spend it on your pleasures. God intends to give you what you desire when those desires are appropriate. They're holy, dependent, and they're not seeking for selfish gain. And many things people do not gain in this life in their Christian life that are good because they don't ask. They don't pray. It's like Mr. Poverty. He doesn't, he's so sparingly. He doesn't till his land, he doesn't water it. So he doesn't have much increase. But God has said these are the means, these are the means, and the wise man, Mr. Plenty, says I'm going to sow heavily with these means. I want a fellowship. I want to study the word. He prays and through that God grows. God is not bound in that he needs those means, but he's chosen in his good pleasure to bless according to those means. It's not the same but similar to justification. It most reformed us, reformed in other circles too. If you talk about justification by works, that's like a big, you know, you just said the worst thing you could possibly say. And it's true, that's terrible. Because we know with very clear conviction and implications to some degree the detriment of considering justification by anything but faith alone. And we see the fruit of it in the Catholic church particularly. And even in our own lives and in the lives of others, we know that the means by which God justifies somebody is faith alone. And we have a deep conviction on that. But often we don't have a deep conviction that God grants grace in living the Christian life according to these means seen by our neglect of them. But it's similar brothers, sisters. God has chosen these means through which and by which he blesses. It's not that we don't have every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ and that these are sacraments where we're continuing to earn more and eventually we'll be justified. We already have all things in Christ but we don't enjoy them. We don't actually experience experimentally as Christians the grace that is ours by our neglect of God's means of grace. And I could go to Matthew 7 where Jesus says after towards the end of the Sermon on the Mount, he says ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find and knock and it will be open to you. And in that context he's talking about heart righteousness according to the law. And that should be our holy desires that we want to honor God in our hearts by being holy unto him. That we want to have internal righteousness. So Jesus says ask, application. And I'll end with two. From Matthew 6, reject brothers, sisters hypocrisy. Reject hypocrisy with the means of grace. As seen in the Pharisees in our day and in our hearts at times because as water reflects the face of man so one heart reflects the heart of another man and when we see the Pharisees we should see our own remaining sin in ourselves. But the Pharisees did things publicly to be seen by men and yet they neglected God privately. When you apply these means of grace, apply the ones like reading the word prayer privately as well as publicly. But when you're practiced in publicly consider your motives and your goals. Reject hypocrisy in the application of these means of grace. And from Luke 18, I'll end there if you'll look at that briefly. It was a parable that men always ought to pray and not lose heart. And in this parable there's a wicked judge who won't do justice but the woman is persistent and he eventually gives her justice because he's just tired of her. And then Jesus says, shall not God avenge his own elect who cry out day and night to him though he bears long with him? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes will he really find faith on the earth? In contrast to this wicked judge, God is benevolent. And if he who gave his only son that you might have eternal life has now brought you into his household as an adopted child will go and giving his son to you, will he not give you bread if you ask for bread? He's not gonna give you a stone. And if a wicked judge will respond to somebody who's persistent, how much more who God who saved your soul when you're persistent with him in faith? This is meant to encourage our faith. That's the issue is you are, when you neglect these means of grace, you're exercising your own selfish pride, your own self-sufficient blindness. You're thinking to yourself, I don't need the Lord. And you're having to impugn his character saying that he won't give or he doesn't hear and it couldn't be further from the truth. So pray, read, study, have spiritual disciplines prioritize them in your life. As the pastor said this morning or maybe it was Pastor Michael of this world passing away, so why would you cherish the things of this world and neglect the eternal riches? Let's pray. Father in heaven, we ask now, knowing that you bless unlike the wicked judge. I pray Lord that you would grow us in holiness, that we would grow in our faith, our humility as we employ the means of grace that we would be childlike in our spirit and glory in Jesus Christ. I pray that we would see the relationship between the means of grace and effectual growth or a sanctification and living the Christian life. Lord, I pray that you will help us not only recognize where we ought to be growing in or not, but more that you would turn us, Lord, to yourself and cause us to pick up these means of grace where we have neglected them or are neglecting them. And I pray these things in Christ's name, amen.