If you have your copy of God's Word this evening, turn with me to Acts chapter 20. Acts chapter 20 verse 32. Acts chapter 20 verse 32. And what we are doing in these Lord's Day evening services is walking through the doctrines of our faith this year, utilizing an historic catechism known as the Heidelberg. The weekly installment is printed for you there on the back page, and it largely has to do with sacraments. Now many of us as Baptists might be allergic to that word, and we don't need to be allergic to that word. We use the word sacrament and ordinance interchangeably. They are simply two visible signs of word proclamation that the Lord has given to his church. But the catechism does a wonderful job speaking to the use of the sacraments in the life of the believer. For instance, question number 66, what are the sacraments? Sacraments are visible, holy signs and seals appointed by God for this end, that by the use thereof, he may be the more fully declare and seal to us the promise of the gospel, namely that he grants us out of free grace, the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life for the sake of the one sacrifice of Christ accomplished on the cross. Question 67. Are both these then the Word and sacraments designed to direct our faith to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross as the only ground of our salvation? Yes, truly, for the Holy Ghost teaches in the Gospel and by the Holy Sacraments assures us that our whole salvation stands in the one sacrifice of Christ made for us on the cross. So while that word may be used in a variety of contexts, what we're saying, what the writers of this catechism are rightly saying, I believe, is that the sacraments are the word made visible. That essentially the sacraments are a sermon that assure us of our salvation in Christ when we come to them in faith in Christ alone. But I want to take a step back tonight and answer the question even before this. Not simply regarding the sacraments, but regarding the question of how it is that God grows us in grace. Acts chapter 20 verse 32. And this will relate to the sacraments, but really it relates to the ordinary means of grace. And that's what I want to discuss tonight, the ordinary means of grace. Acts chapter 20 and verse 32. Hear now the word of God. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. Let me read that one more time. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. Would you pray with me? Lord God, tonight we ask that You would guide us in this time as we look to the Word, that You would encourage our hearts and grow us in grace, we pray. We ask that You would guide and guard and aid in both the preaching of the Word and in the hearing of the Word. In Jesus' name, Amen. What I want to do tonight is look at the Word of God and answer the question, what are the means that the Lord uses to minister grace to His people? Now, if you were here three years ago, at just about this time, we were in a series on the means of grace. Many of you were not here. And rather than just jumping into the sacraments, what I want to do is take a step back and simply answer the question, what are the things that the Lord uses to grow us in His grace? And so for some of you, this is going to sound very familiar. But for others of you, this might be new. And so let's join together as we consider this theme. Our text tonight, Acts 20 verse 32, is a famous passage. You recall that Paul is making his way through Asia Minor and he comes to nearby Ephesus. And he has an encounter with the Ephesian elders. So these are pastors, if you will, who are now ministering in Ephesus, years after that church has been planted. And Paul knows this is going to be the last time that he's going to see them face to face. The text says as much. And he has this If it were a movie, this would be the tearjerker part because he's basically about to leave them. They're having prayer. He's going to get on a ship and sail off and never see them again. And what does he say? What does he say? Well, he begins by describing his work among them in verse 18. You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia. And he continues to walk through various themes. He says in verse 28, keeping in mind that these are elders, pastors, overseers. He says, pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock. in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to care for the church of God, which He obtained with His own blood." And then he says this in our verse. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who were sanctified. You labor for a while among people in the word, and then you're going to leave them. What do you leave them with? What do you commend to them? What do you say? This is of primary importance for you. And Paul says, essentially, I'm leaving you with God and his word. Now our verse tonight gives us three things to think about, and they relate to the sacraments, as we will see in a few moments. Just one verse, and yet we see in this verse three things. Number one, God builds up his people. God builds up his people. We see that in the text, don't we? I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up. God builds up his people. But secondly, we see God uses means to do so. Now, this should not be surprising. Most of us would think that our infinite God would have ways that he's going to build us up. But what are those ways? But then thirdly, God uses the Word and sacraments as the primary means to do so. And this is what we'll look at specifically in a moment. So these three points. Number one, God builds up His people. Paul, speaking to these pastors, essentially says, I'm commending you to God. I'm leaving you with God. I'm placing you in God's hands and to the Word of His grace. Which word is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified? God builds up His people. If you were to look at our church's statement of faith, our confession, in chapter 14, verse 1, you can look at this in the back of your hymnal if you desire, but the London Baptist Confession of Faith, chapter 14, paragraph 1, describes this so succinctly and so well. And this is what we as a church proclaim. It reads this way, the grace of faith whereby the elect are enabled to believe to the saving of their souls is the work of the spirit of Christ in their hearts. The grace of faith whereby the elect are enabled to believe to the saving of their souls is the work of the spirit of Christ in their hearts and is ordinarily wrought. accomplished, worked by the ministry of the Word, by which also and by the administration of baptism in the Lord's Supper, prayer, and other means appointed of God, it is increased and strengthened." Perhaps lengthier sentences than maybe many of us are used to. The grace of faith is worked in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. And it normally occurs through the preaching of the word as well as the administration of baptism, Lord's Supper, and prayer. We call these ordinary means. Paul commends people to God and to his word. He confidently gives people over to God and the word of his grace to be built up. This isn't the only passage where he would speak to this. Colossians 2, 6 and 7. Paul writes, therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. This is not an earth-shattering sermon point tonight, beloved, but it need be said, God builds up his people. If you are a believer, God is going to build you up. in the faith. God is going to be strengthening you in the faith. He's going to increase you in faith. He's going to grow you in grace. Whatever other biblical phrases we could use, we need to understand that when God saves a man, when God saves a woman, He does not leave them in the state that He found them in. In fact, the whole of Christian life is being built up in the grace in which we stand. So Paul commends them. to God and to the Word, which, number one, is able to build them up. But secondly, it needs to be said that God uses means to do this work. God uses means to do this work. What are the mechanisms, the methods, the tools that God uses? Well, Paul says here, and now I commend you to God and to the Word of His grace. So follow this with me. He commends them to God and to a specific thing. This is interesting. Why would he say to God and a specific means or method or mechanism? Why would Paul say, I commend you to God and to the word? Why not just say, I commend you to God? God doesn't need anything. Why does Paul commend the people, these elders, to God and to the word of His grace? Well, he does so because God uses means. God uses means to build up His people. He says this, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up? and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified." The means, in this case the Word, is characterized as having the ability to build up. The Word of God has the ability to build up the people of God. Elsewhere the Scriptures say it this way, 2 Peter 1 verses 2-4, May grace and peace be multiplied to you, So there's an increase. Multiplication increases things. May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him. who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire." God builds up his people and he uses specific means to do so. Okay, well, what are those means? We're given a means here in Acts 20 verse 32, the word. The Word builds up God's people. But elsewhere throughout the Scriptures, we do see several other things that the Scriptures list that are means that God uses to do this work of building up His people. We call them means of grace. Now, for the last three years or so, that has become a very common phrase here at our church, which happens to be called Grace. At Grace Baptist Chapel, the phrase means of grace has become a regular common phrase. And my fear is this, many folks who've joined us over the years hear that phrase regularly, and you think, oh, I know exactly what that means, or, You may think, they keep saying these words, but I don't know what these words mean. But I'm afraid to raise my hand and say, what do you mean when you say means of grace? I thought all we had to do was trust in Christ alone, by faith alone. And now you're talking about means? Are there things that I need to do in order to get saved? So what do you mean when you say means of grace? Well, all we mean is this. The instruments that Christ uses to birth and strengthen faith in His people as He is present among them." Let me say that again. The means of grace are the instruments that Christ uses ordinarily to birth and strengthen faith in His people as He is present among them. That's all that we mean. So, let me tell you where we're going and then we'll get there together. The ordinary means that He uses to birth and strengthen faith in us are the preaching of the Word, baptism, the Lord's Supper, and prayer. Now, we can also say this, there are a myriad of other things that the Lord uses in our lives. Good books, blog sites, small group meetings, one-on-one coffee with a friend. The list could go on and on and on. These are also things that the Lord may use in our lives. So how do we distinguish between those that are ordinary and those that are extra ordinary? Well, the ordinary means are those things that we look to the scripture and when we see in the scripture the commanded things that we are to do, they are things that are commanded, instituted by Christ, and they come with a promise of blessing. I am aided there by Jim Renahan and his definition. They're instituted by Christ and come with a promise of blessing. The Bible lists some particular means, instruments, channels through which the grace of God is multiplied in the life of the believer. These we must do and when we do them in faith, we can expectantly understand and receive a spiritual blessing. Now, let's take a step back. Paul commends the people to God and to his word. So we've said already, God builds up his people. He says, this word is able to build you up. He commends them to something besides God himself. So there is a means through which God uses that he's going to build us up. And so, all that we mean when we say ordinary means of grace are those ordinary things, those regular things, those things that we should regularly observe and keep that God promises to use in the life of His children. Our confession listed them for you. The preaching of the Word, baptism, the Lord's Supper, and prayer. Now, if you're like me, when you first hear this, you think, now wait a minute. I thought that the church was to be a place of doing all kinds of things, programs, plans, methods. I thought we had to consider church growth and all this kind of stuff. And you're just saying that the Lord is ordinarily expecting me to grow the most in and through preaching, baptism, the Lord's Supper, and prayer? It's really that simple? That can't be. But that's exactly what I'm saying. But we must understand what each of these things are if we're going to understand how they grow us. Keep in mind, the Lord Christ institutes these things and He promises to bless them. So quickly, the ministry of the Word. Romans 10, turn there with me. Romans 10. Romans 10. Verses 14-17. How could we accurately give the context of Romans 10? We can't. It's a beautiful, lengthy discussion of salvation. But in verse 14 we pick up where Paul is talking about how salvation comes through Christ. And he says this in verse 14. But how are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news. They have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us? Verse 17. So faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ. Something comes to God's people as the word of Christ is proclaimed. Preaching is not simply a lecture. It's not simply a motivational speech. The preaching of the Word of God should be the regular mission of the church because it is God's promised mechanism for birthing and increasing and strengthening faith. The ministry of the Word. This is what Paul is commending the Ephesian elders to. The ministry of the Word. The Word read, yes, but the Word proclaimed. Well, quickly, for our time is fast approaching. Matthew chapter 28, Matthew chapter 28. Here, Christ gives a commission to his apostles and through them to us. And he commands them to baptize, doesn't he? He says, all authority in heaven on earth has been given to me. Now, I really wish we could camp out here for a long time. Christ's victorious, earned, and current ruling and reigning authority is what He is commissioning the disciples with. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them. in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I've commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age." Don't miss this. Christ is with us, and he's with us as we baptize. Christ is with us, and he's with us as we baptize. The ministry of the Word commanded The practice of baptism commanded. Turn over to 1 Corinthians 10. 1 Corinthians 10. Here, we saw this just a few weeks ago in our walking through of this text. We read this 1 Corinthians 10 verse 16. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? If we had time, we'd walk through each of these ordinary means. But notice what the Lord is saying, what the Holy Spirit is saying through the Apostle Paul regarding the Lord's Supper, that there is a participation in the present Christ when we come to the Lord's table. Now I hope this is, if this is the first time you're hearing this, I hope that this is starting to sink in. That what the church of God needs is not programs. What the church of God needs is not another book on church growth strategies. How can we be real, relevant, relational, and missional to our culture? What the church of Christ needs is the presence of Christ through the Word of Christ week in and week out. Because, beloved, Christ is gathering His people. And He does that in His voice. That's why Paul commends them to the Word. Well, one other text. 1 John 5, 14 and 15. 1 John 5, 14 and 15. Here we simply read this. And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him. Keep in mind, these are things that are prescribed for the church. And in one way or another, they come with a promise of fruit, a promise of blessing. Preaching produces faith. I am with you as you baptize. The Lord's Supper is actually something that is a means whereby you know the spiritual presence of Christ. And prayer comes with the promise that we can be assured that God hears us. These are not simply religious exercises. They are the ordinary means that Christ uses to shepherd you until you see Him face to face. And so when we use this phrase here, ordinary means of grace, we don't mean, we're just ordinary simple people that we just don't really have time for programs and a busy church calendar. We just want to do the minimum. That's not at all what we mean. We mean that Christ has ordained that his church do specific things and in the right practice of those things, his people are fed and blessed. Ordinary means. So you might say, well, let's call them something else. Ordinary sounds so ordinary. Shouldn't we call them extraordinary, miraculous things? But they're specifically called ordinary because those are the things to which we should regularly go. Those are the things that we should regularly attend to. Preaching, prayer, sacraments. Again, God is free to use any means in the life of any believer, and He undoubtedly does. But these are the clearly laid out means through which He has told us He will work. Remember, the assumption is God is not only working, but he's telling us how he's working, at least in part, among his people. He's telling us, I work through the preaching of the word of Christ. I work through baptism in the Lord's Supper. I work through prayer. And when God tells us that he works through something, let us attend to that something. Now, these means assume a risen, reigning, and present Christ. We need to say that. These means do not imply that we're waiting for Christ to rule and reign. And here's what I mean. Jesus has not left His church without His presence. The Great Commission. I am with you always to the end of the age. Ephesians chapter 1 and chapter 2. We see that Christ is preaching to the church at Ephesus. When did Christ go to Ephesus and preach in the flesh? He did not. When did he go? He went in his word proclaimed. The risen ruling and reigning Christ is the one that uses these means through the spirit in the life of the church. And so we should say this, Roman Catholics, believe that these means, and they add to them, but they believe that these means alone have power to work, that they work kind of on their own. But we would say these means are things that the Lord uses, but they must be accompanied by the work of the Spirit of Christ and by faith on the part of the believer. So if you're not a believer and you have no faith in Christ and you come to this table, there's not some kind of mystical working in your soul that's happening just because you're doing something that the church for 2,000 years has done. These are means which the Lord uses to birth and strengthen faith in true believers. So, let's skip our way through church history. John Calvin, when speaking of the Lord's Supper, said this, All we say is that God uses the means and instruments which he sees to be expedient, in order that all things may be subservient to his glory, he being the Lord and disposer of all. Therefore, as by bread and other ailment he feeds our bodies, and by the sun he illumines, and by fire gives warmth to the world, and yet bread, sun, fire are nothing save inasmuch as they are instruments under which he dispenses his blessings to us, so in like manner he spiritually nourishes our faith by means of the sacraments. whose only office is to make his promises visible to our eye, or rather, to be pledges of his promises. Charles Hodge, speaking of means of grace, they are, quote, institutions God ordained to be the ordinary channels of grace. That is of the spiritual influences of the Holy Spirit to the souls of men. So God builds up his people and he uses means to do it. Thirdly, God uses the Word and sacraments as ordinary means. Paul says in our text, in Acts chapter 20 verse 32, he says, I commend you to God and to the Word of His grace. That Word is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. The Word of His grace. Yes, this is the gospel. but ultimately the gospel comes to us through the word of Christ. So, God uses the word preached and the word made visible to grow us. Now again, for many of us, for several years now, this has become commonplace. However, just like any kind of new habit that develops, it takes time. And there may be among us many who have not really thought of placing a primacy on preaching and the regular administration of sacraments and prayer and the fellowship of the body as we do those things together, that really is the main thing that God uses. And yet we ought to. We ought to. If you were to look at Acts chapter 2, verse 42, the early church, what was it that they devoted themselves to? The teaching of the apostles, the word. and to the breaking of bread. And I should say here, that breaking of bread was not devoting themselves to Baptist potluck. That was the Lord's Supper. Why would the early church? We have so many things to do. There are so many people in Corinth and Ephesus and Rome, not to mention Jerusalem, that need to hear. We need to create programs. Not all programs are bad, but beloved, what did the early church devote themselves to but sermons and gathering themselves around the Lord's table? And you know what else it says? And to prayer. Ought we not to devote ourselves to the very things which the Word says the early church devoted themselves to? The very things to which the Word says the Lord promises blessing when we come to them in faith? Or ought we to create new kinds of things? We've been over this, haven't we, as a church, but what do we do when we feed our little ones lots of sugary snacks throughout the day? Well, we keep them from eating the meals that they most need to eat to be nourished. I am fearful that in 21st century America, the very things that the Lord says, I will ordinarily use to grow you and bless you, are the very things that we avoid because they just seem so simple. And yet that's exactly the point. The Lord's voice present among his people in preaching and prayer and sacraments. Well, as we close then, let me remind you, God builds up his people. He uses means to do so. The word and sacrament are ordinary means. So practically then, let me encourage you. If we want to grow, we should have a right understanding and pursuit of these means that the Lord uses, including the sacraments. We should wrestle with things like, why do we at Grace Chapel take the Lord's Supper every other week? Shouldn't we space it out so it has more meaning? That's not what the scriptural model was. But the sarcastic side of me wants to say, we don't say that about preaching. We don't say that about prayer. Shouldn't we only pray every couple of months so that it will mean more when we do it, right? And pardon the sarcasm, but you know where I'm going with this, right? We think about these things, and as the Word challenges us, we say, Lord, we might be missing out on a blessing. But a second thing is we need not be careless in the use of these means. So we need to be very intentional with what we consider preaching. Preaching is not simply someone standing somewhere giving religious speak. Has the Word of God unfolded? Has it unfolded rightly? Is Christ glorified and seen in the Word? We should consider what our own absence from worship or our late showing up to worship might mean. There are many things. Beloved Paul could have said anything, but writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit through Luke, we see what does Paul say? I commend you to God and to his word. which is able to build you up and give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified." So how are we as a church to be commended to the Word? Well, we are to regularly sing it and pray it, hear it preached, and see it unfolded week in and week out. Here, in the baptistry and around the table, the Word of God as a visible sign That's really what this is. You hear me say this regularly, beloved. This is a sermon. But not for our ears. For our eyes. For our taste buds. The Lord has given us two visible sermons that we are regularly to attend to. So, the Heidelberg says. How many sacraments has Christ appointed in the New Testament? Two. baptism and the supper. And they are the two means that are signed promises of his word. Let's pray. Lord, we ask that you would remind many of us and challenge others of us to think about the regular use of preaching prayer and sacraments in our lives. Lord, if we are not regularly attending to these things, if we're not regularly seeing these things as of the value that they are, would you cause us to see them as such? Seeing that you have instituted them and promised to bless them when your people come in faith unto them. May we be a church that amid all that we do, We see these as the ordinary things that we regularly do. For your glory we pray, in Jesus' name, amen. Would you stand together?