Extraordinary Grace through Ordinary Means (Rev. Erik Veerman)

This morning is our second sermon in our series about who we are as a church.

Last week we talked about our desire as a church to be faithful to God’s call for local congregations. Remember that faithfulness is a three legged stool. 1. Faithful in our devotion to the Lord, the Master, 2. Faithful to the message – the rich doctrines that God has given us in his Word including and especially the Gospel message. And 3. Faithful to the mission. God’s call for us individually and as a church is to be a light of the Gospel. That mission is carried out locally and to the ends of the earth.

Underlying those three responsibilities is God’s faithfulness to us … what God has done for us through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

That is our ministry heart – a desire to be faithful to the Master, the message, and the mission.

Today we’ll be considering the centrality of God’s Word, prayer, and the sacraments in these endeavors as a church.

Before we begin, let me give you a brief the lay of the land where we are headed over the next few weeks. We’re starting with four foundational beliefs.

·      Last week was our belief in God’s call for the local church

·      This week is the primary means through which God works in our lives.

·      Next week will be what we believe is the overall theme of the Bible - God’s covenant promises to his people which are fulfilled in Christ.

·      And in 2 weeks, we’ll consider what we believe the Bible teaches about the organization of the church. In other words, why do we call ourselves a Presbyterian church.

Those are the four foundational things we’ll be covering. Then after that, we’ll talk about how those work out in our worship, our discipleship, and our missions.

Again, this series is a little out of the ordinary, but hopefully it will be an encouragement to you as well as unifying for us.

This morning, we have three passages. First, Acts chapter 2, then Hebrews chapter 4, then 1 Corinthians chapter 10.

If you will turn to Acts chapter 2. That can be found on page 1082 in the pew Bibles. we’ll begin with verses 42-47.

·      Reading of Acts 2:42-47 (church just beginning);

·      Hebrews 4:12-16 (page 1189 - right after the author of Hebrews had expounded on God’s Word given in Psalm 95);

·      1 Corinthians 10:16-17 (page 1138 – the context is the contrast between idols and food sacrificed compared with the Lord’s supper).

Prayer

How do people change? Have you ever asked that question? How does change happen deep within us? I’m not talking about changing our minds about what we like or what we agree with in secondary or tertiary matters. Rather, I’m talking about a heart change to believe a truth about God or a change in someone’s life for the better – you know, like setting aside a pattern of sin…or forsaking some kind of heart idol or changing a bad habit and replacing it with something that honors the Lord.

What causes that kind of change in someone… or in you? It’s a critical question because the answer impacts everything about our ministry as a church.

One of the responsibilities of a local congregation is to be a change agent in people’s lives. I’m using the word “agent” intentionally because we are not the ones who actually change people. No. It is the Holy Spirit who changes hearts and minds. The church merely leads people in the means or to the means through which the Spirit works to change hearts. In that way, we are agents.

So, then, to what do we direct or lead people for spiritual and life change? And the answer is, #1, God’s Word, #2, prayer to the one true God, and #3 the sacraments that he has ordained, which are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

To say it again, the Holy Spirit works through these means to transform us. God works his salvation in us through these ordinary things – his Word, prayer, and the sacraments.

When I say that God is working his salvation in us through them, I’m using the word salvation in a broad sense, like the Scriptures often do. Salvation includes faith in Jesus’ work on the cross, reconciling us to him, which we sometimes call justification. But salvation also includes God’s continuing work of sanctification in us as he conforms us more and more to his image. That salvation will one day bring us to glory.

So, God’s Spirit works through his Word, and through prayer and in the sacraments to change us or transform us, as he brings to bear his salvation in our lives. Those three things are the ordinary means through which God gives us his extraordinary grace. They are God’s appointed instruments.

We’re going to get into more details in a moment, but let me say this up front. Given the overwhelming significance of these means of grace, the church must focus its ministry on them. The church needs to steward these gifts given to us. God’s Word, prayer, and the sacraments need to be the primary emphasis in our ministry.

That is one of the foundational things that we believe as a church.

If we go all the way back to the early church in Acts 2… it is these means of grace to which the church devoted itself.

By the way, Acts 2 is when the Holy Spirit was given to the church. After that event, Pentecost, is when the people of God started gathering together in communities. That was when local churches started forming. And we learn in Acts 2:42 that they devoted themselves to these means of grace.

They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching. That’s the first thing mentioned. Now, at that time, they did not have the New Testament. Rather, the Holy Spirit was at work through the Apostles to reveal God’s truth. We know from other places in the book of Acts that this included teaching how the Old Testament is fulfilled in Christ. Their teaching also included how Jesus accomplished Salvation for his people, and it included the call to faith. So, the church was dedicating themselves to these truths, which we have in God’s Word.

It next says they dedicated themselves to fellowship. That’s the word Koinonia, which is a mission-driven relationship with one another. In other words, God’s word and prayer and the sacraments were not being pursued in a vacuum. Rather this devotion happened in this new gathering of believers, the church.

It also says they dedicated themselves to prayer. What is prayer? Well, it is coming before God in humility for who he is and what he has done for us. It’s asking for the Lord’s help for our situations and others. It’s interceding for his work throughout the world. The apostles would have taught the people the Lord’s Prayer as they learned it from Jesus. Their prayers would have included many examples from the Old Testament, like Hannah’s prayer or Daniel’s, or David’s, or Ezra’s or Nehemiah’s. We’re given many examples.

Prayer and the Word have always been central to God’s people, Old Testament and New. We call them means of grace because they are the channels through which God gives amazing gifts to us. You’ve heard me say before that the word grace is the word gift. God has given us his very Word and he invites us into his presence in prayer.

We read from Hebrews 4 because it, in part, captures the power of God’s Word to change us. Listen again to the language and consider the ministry of God’s Word in your heart and mind. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” It penetrates to our very core. God’s Word always goes with his Spirit and as we read from Isaiah 55 earlier, it will always accomplish the purpose for which it goes forth. It will never return void. And as God’s Word goes forth, through the power of his Spirit, it brings conviction. The Holy Spirit shines the light of the truth of God’s Word on our hearts.

What an amazing blessing and grace that God has given us.

·      Through God’s Word, we learn of his nature and power and justice. Through it, we understand the demand of his law and the sin in our own hearts.

·      Furthermore, God has revealed, through his Word, both the divine and human nature of Jesus, who is, by the way, the Word of God incarnate.

·      We’re called to repentance and faith through God’s Word. Romans 10 says that “faith comes from hearing and hearing through the Word of Christ.”

·      Moreover, God molds and shapes us through his Word. As 2 Timothy 3 puts it, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

All of that is why we study it. It is why we uphold it as authoritative and inspired. Each of us could spend our entire lives mining its truths and we would still not exhaust its depths. It is that rich and deep.

And let me say… prayer is no less an extraordinary grace. It’s an amazing thing to consider that the God of the universe has invited us in to his very presence.

We’re unworthy, yet we have been made worthy through Christ. And he goes before us. He intercedes for us. That is what Hebrews 4 verses 14-16 speaks of. Jesus is our High Priest. Through his sacrifice and his intercession, we can draw near to the throne of grace. Here’s Hebrews 4:16. “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” We can come with confidence and when we do, as it says, we will receive his mercy and find his grace. Do you see how prayer is a means of grace? Through prayer, we are communing with the living God. We are abiding in him. We are acknowledging his worthiness and power to accomplish his purposes in our lives. We are submitting ourselves to him, confessing our sin, asking for peace. Philippians 4 says “in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

God uses his Word and prayer to lift us up and sustain us and remind us of his precious promises in Christ. They are there for our blessing. And so, we each need to avail ourselves of God’s Word and prayer.

I remember learning a song in, I think, first or second grade Sunday school. At the time, I didn’t think anything of it. But it’s come to mind decades later. We would start on the ground and then we would sing, “read your Bible, pray every day, pray every day, pray every day, read your Bible, pray every day, and you’ll grow, grow grow.” [repeat] and we would slowly stand up. It was symbolizing our maturing in Christ. And then, it would reverse! “Forget your Bible, forget to pray, and you’ll shrink, shrink, shrink.” We would not be maturing in Christ.

I had no idea, at the time, how profound that is. I am still learning its lesson, today.

If you are not regularly in the Word and in prayer, you are missing out on two of the three most amazing gifts that God has given his people.

Let’s look at the third.

Briefly go back to Acts 2:42. Another phrase is used: they dedicated themselves to  “The breaking of bread.” Now, at first glance that seems to indicate they enjoyed fellowshipping over meals together. However, it already says that they fellowshipped, which would have included meals. Rather the historical consensus, including John Calvin and Martin Luther, considered this phrase to reference the Holy Supper as they often called it. In other words, when the early church gathered, they participated in the sacraments.

Now, the word sacrament is not in the Bible. However, we use that word to identify the two holy ordinances that Jesus established for his church - Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

I am using the phrase “Jesus established” because he is the one who called the church to practice these sacraments. Jesus calls us to make disciples and baptize them. As you heard me say a couple of times earlier this month, Baptism is the New Covenant sign of God’s promise and it is connected to the Old Covenant sign of circumcision. Similarly, the Lord’s Supper is the New Covenant sign of faith and our union with Christ. It connects to the old sign of the Passover. Jesus called his disciples and calls us to partake of the holy supper often, and as we do in remembrance of him.

It is a remembrance, but it is way more than just a remembrance. First of all, the sign itself, just like Baptism, is more than words on a page and words spoken. They are visible and tangible signs of the Gospel. The symbols themselves, the bread and the cup in the Supper and water in Baptism display the ministry of Christ – his death and his cleansing of sin. And those symbols are applied to us. All our senses are engaged as we see and participate in these ordinances that God has given.

In the case of the supper, we are participating in the body and blood of Christ. That’s what we read from 1 Corinthians 10. That similar idea is in the Gospel of John chapter 6, which emphasizes our eating of Jesus body and drinking of his blood.

Now, we don’t believe that the elements become the body and blood of Jesus. No, Jesus has ascended and he is reigning in heaven. But in a mysterious way in the supper we are participating in Christ. The Holy Spirit has united us to him by faith and in the supper, the spiritual reality of that union is brought to bear.

Sometimes I say that we are receiving his sanctifying grace in the meal because in the meal, we are given assurance and hope and we’re given strength to endure temptation. But as I mentioned earlier, our sanctification is part of our salvation. I say sanctifying grace to make clear that the elements do not justify you. No, Jesus justifies you when you come to him by faith in repentance of your sin. But do not minimize the grace that you receive in the supper through our mysterious participation in Jesus’ body and blood.

What I am saying is that just as God’s Word and prayer are ordinary means through which God gives his extraordinary grace, so too are the sacraments. They show forth and commune the benefits of salvation.

All three are means through which God changes us. And to be absolutely clear about it, it is the Holy Spirit who uses these means to transform our hearts and minds.

Let me now ask, what does this mean for us as a church? Well, it means we need to be devoting ourselves to these means… just like the early church did. We as a church need to both direct one another to participate in them, and we need to lead with them in our ministry.

·      So, why do we have several Bible studies and focus on God’s Word in our small and large groups and throughout our worship? It’s because of these means of grace.

·      Why do we have prayer throughout our service, and on Sunday evenings, and in our home groups, and other times? It is because of these means of grace.

·      Why in our outreach do we teach Bible stories and emphasize Jesus’ ministry on the cross and in the resurrection? It is because of the means of grace.

·      Why do we have a prayer sheet and occasionally have Bible memory verses and a Bible reading plan? It is because of these means of grace.

·      Why do we take time in our service to explain and practice the Lord’s Supper and Baptism. It is because they are means of grace.

Now, you may have a question. How do these means of grace connect to our study last week about being faithful? Remember, faithfulness to the Master, the message, and the mission. It is an important question.

Think about it this way. The church’s call to be faithful in those three things are like railroad tracks that we need to be travelling down. The church is the train and the tracks are what we are to focus on – the Master, the message, and the mission. But what makes the train move? Well, the means of grace power the train. The Word, prayer, and the sacraments are like the fuel for the train. It’s like the coal in an old steam train. It powers us to go forward down the tracks.

In other words, at the center of our devotion to the Lord (the Master) needs to be God’s Word and prayer and participation in the sacraments he’s given us. It fuels our piety and devotion to the Lord.

Likewise, at the center of the message is God’s Word. Furthermore, we pray that God would open our hearts to understand it.  And we practice the Lord’s Supper and Baptism which display what we believe. The means of grace fuel our heart desire to know the Gospel and the depth of the doctrines that God has revealed.

And last, at the center of our mission, the great commission, needs to be declaring God’s Word and praying for God to be at work in those to whom we minister. And, as we make disciples, they will worship the Lord with us where they can then participate in the sacraments.

Last week, I mentioned the first line of our motto. “Living and proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ.” That captures our desire to be faithful to the Master, message, and mission. Well, the second line of our motto captures the means of grace. It says, “through worship, prayer, in word, and deed.”  In other words, we desire to fulfill the call to live and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ, through those things. The first three are the means of grace. The sacraments happen in worship, and we are committed to prayer and the Word. By the way, we included “deed” there because we desire not just to minister to one another and our community in word, but also we want to display the Gospel in our deeds.

So, living and proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ, through worship and prayer, in word and deed.

Brothers and sister, this is at the core of who we are.

May we not only be a church that practices these means of grace, but may we each avail ourselves of these extraordinary graces… that God may change us and mold us to conform to his righteousness more and more each day. Read your Bible, pray every day, and you’ll grow, grow, grow.