Nathaniel R. Martin

Prayer as an Ordinary Means of Grace: Ephesians 3:14-21

Sermon Idea: Prayer is a means of grace through which God builds up the church as we commune with Him in the name of Christ and the power of the Spirit. 

Introduction: Just a few weeks ago, we reflected on the early church’s priorities in corporate worship from Acts 2:42. Among the ordinary acts they devoted themselves to was prayer. 

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (Ac 2:42.)

The picture we are given is much more than prayer being relegated to a mere transition between more meaningful moments in the worship service. Prayer was and should be a central part of every corporate worship service. 

As Acts continues, prayer plays a primary role in all the church does. The church’s dependence upon God and seeking of God are always expressed through prayer. The church’s boldness, power, and effectiveness are always the result of prayer.

Prayer is primary because it is an ordinary means of grace through which God builds up the church as she communes with Him in the name of Christ and the power of the Spirit. That will be my main point this morning. 

I want to show this in two ways. First, I want to speak generally about prayer as a means of grace. I want to remind you that the Lord Jesus commands prayer and so expects of us. I also want us to survey several texts that remind us that the promises of God accompany prayer. 

After that, I want to consider how prayer is a means of grace for us with a particular example. I want us to think about how God builds the church up as we commune with Him in the name of Christ and in the power of the Spirit, from Ephesians 3:14-20, one of the richest prayers in the New Testament. 

Before we dive in, it is worth asking a more basic question: What is prayer? I want to share a robust definition of prayer that I came across this week in my reading, and a straightforward definition. 

The robust definition comes from Charles Hodge, a theologian who was the principal of Princeton Theological Seminary in the 19th century. It is beautiful, so now you have to hear about it. 

“Prayer is the converse of the soul with God. Therein we manifest or express to Him our reverence, and love for his divine perfection, our gratitude for all his mercies, our penitence for our sins, our hope for his forgiving love, our desires for his favor, and for the providential and spiritual blessings needed for ourselves and others.”

That is a rich definition of prayer, and if you listened carefully, it taught you all the essential components of good prayer. When we pray, we are to adore God for who He is, confess our sin in light of God’s goodness and holiness, be thankful for all God’s grace and goodness to us, and seek the Lord for all the blessings needed for ourselves and others. 

A few months ago, one of our dear brothers approached me after one of our services and told me he was having difficulty in his prayer life. He didn’t know where to start or what to pray for. I encouraged him to remember the acronym A.C.T.S. 

A stands for adoration. Start your prayers by adoring God’s beauty, glory, and majesty. 

C stands for confession. In light of God’s glory and holiness, we acknowledge our sins, confess them, and rest in the finished work of Christ. 

T stands for thanksgiving. We follow confession by giving thanks to God for his grace, salvation, spiritual blessings, etc. 

S stands for supplication. We ask God for all we need, and we intercede for others. We make requests for ourselves and others. 

The simple definition is this: prayer is talking to God. It is simple, but think about all that this simple definition takes for granted. If prayer is talking to God, God must be personal and welcoming of communion with us. This is amazing. In prayer, the one, true God: Father, Son, Holy Spirit, who created all things from nothing by His Word, gives us his attention. And he does so, not as a king hearing the desperate pleas of a peasant but as a Father who delights in his children seeking his presence and provision. 

Prayer is commanded by the Lord Jesus 

The church was so devoted to prayer because prayer was commanded by Jesus and expected of followers of Jesus. 

We read the Lord’s Prayer earlier in the service, and in Matthew 6, Jesus expects that his disciples will pray. 

“And when you pray…” (Matt. 6:5) 

“But when you pray…” (Matt. 6:6)

“And when you pray…” (Matt. 6:7) 

“And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart .” (Lk 18:1)

This command to pray is reinforced in Paul’s letters. 

“Devote yourselves to prayer.” (Colossians 4:2) 

“Pray continually.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) 

We could also survey the numerous examples of Jesus praying privately, with his disciples, and for his disciples. If we want to be like Jesus, we must be people of prayer. Prayer is commanded for the good of God’s people, and so we should devote ourselves to it. It is a means of grace, and although it is a command, it is also an invitation to receive blessings from God as we commune with him. 

Prayer is accompanied by the promises of God 

1. God promises to hear us 

14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 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. (1 Jn 5:14–15)

2. God promises peace 

in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Php 4:6–7)

3. God promises mercy and grace 

14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 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 (Heb 4:14–16)

If this is all we said, it would be enough to establish prayer as a means of grace. God, by the Holy Spirit, bestows the blessings secured by Christ to his people through prayer. God hears us, offering peace, mercy, and grace. 

I want to spend the rest of our time basking in the truths of Ephesians 3:14-20, which I think is the richest prayer in the New Testament and the prayer that teaches us very specifically how God builds us up through prayer. 

Paul makes three main requests as he intercedes for the Ephesians, and they are identified by the word “that.” 

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father… (v. 14) 

  1. that…he may grant you to be strengthened … and so Christ may dwell in your hearts (vv. 16-17a) 
  2. that  you…may have strength to comprehend…and to know the love of Christ (vv. 17b-19a) 
  3. that you may be filled with the fullness of God (v. 19b)
     

To make it applicable to us, we can say it this way. Prayer is a means of spiritual strength, a means of knowing the love of Christ, and a means to grow in the fullness of God. 

I.) Prayer is a means of spiritual strength (Eph. 3:14-17a) 

Prayer is the means through which God bestows the gracious blessing his people in Christ through the Spirit. In verses 16-17, Paul speaks of God’s glory as a depth of riches. In other words, there is an exhaustive source of strength for the people of God. That source is the riches of God’s glory, and we can further share in these riches through prayer. 

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith (Eph 3:14–17)

In prayer, the Spirit of God strengthens believers in their inner being. This means that no matter how weak or fragile the physical body becomes, in Christ, believers can continue to be strengthened, renewed, and refreshed by the Spirit. This is a very similar idea to 2 Corinthians 4:16. 

16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. (2 Co 4:16)

The result of this strengthening, according to verse 17, is “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” 

Of course, this does not mean believers don’t have Christ dwelling in their hearts before praying this way. What Paul says about the Ephesians is true for every believer in Christ. 

13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (Eph 1:13–14)

Although this is true of every Christian, we don’t always fully realize it and live in light of it. Prayer, then, is a means that God uses to strengthen us by his Spirit so that our lives may increasingly experience the benefits of having Christ dwelling in our hearts. 

We can think of it as a deeper awareness of and thankfulness for the gracious reality that Christ indwells us. That deeper awareness and thankfulness come by the strengthening work of the Spirit in prayer.

Illustration: Dad’s house growing up vs. Dad’s house after marrying Candice. 

When this happens, we can think of our life as Paul thinks of his life in Galatians 2:20. 

20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Ga 2:20)

II.) Prayer is a means of knowing the love of Christ (Eph. 3:17b-19a) 

This next point has frequently been a topic of reflection, meditation, and sheer astonishment in my own life. The reason for that is that Paul speaks of the love of Christ in such a way that it is beyond our comprehension. The love of Christ for the church and for every believer is so immeasurably great that we have to actually seek the Spirit’s help through prayer just to understand it. 

that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge (Eph 3:17–19)

Prayer is a means by which God roots and grounds our life to be nourished by the love of Christ. You can think of a tree with deep roots by a flowing stream of water. The deeper the roots, the stronger the tree. The more nourished the tree, the healthier it is.

Through prayer, we come to comprehend the immeasurable greatness of Christ’s love for us. The love of Christ has breadth, length, height, and depth. There is nowhere to ascend to find the end of Christ’s love for the church. There is nowhere to descend to find the end of Christ’s love for the church. You can go as far as the East is from the West, but you’ll not see the limit of Christ’s love for the church. 

When you think about Christ’s purity, holiness, and greatness, and then your impurity and sin, there is a temptation even in the Christian life to wonder how Christ could love us. But he does and does so immeasurably. 

This passage reminds me of one of my favorite confessional articles. In Article 26 of the Belgic Confession of Faith on the intercession of Christ, the confession offers encouragement to any who would have any fear because of Christ’s greatness. 

“But this mediator, whom the Father has appointed between himself and us, ought not terrify us by his greatness, so that we have to look for another one, according to our fancy. For neither in heaven nor among the creatures on earth is there anyone who loves us more than Jesus Christ does.”- Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 26

The more Christians comprehend the immeasurable greatness of Christ’s love for them, the more they have real knowledge of it, and they’ll experience more joy and thankfulness, be less inclined to sin, and be strengthened against temptation. 

There is not a single person in this room who doesn’t need to have a deeper knowledge of Christ’s love. There is not a single person who doesn’t need more joy, gratitude, and strength against temptation and sin. 

“The love of Christ is held out to us as the subject which ought to occupy our daily and nightly meditations and in which we ought to be wholly plunged. He who is in possession of this alone has enough.“- John Calvin

Prayer is the means through which God, by his spirit, strengthens us to comprehend the love of Christ.  

III.) Prayer is a means of growing in the fullness of God (Eph. 3:19b)

The third and final request is that the the Ephesians would be filled with the fullness of God, “that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”(Eph 3:19)

Prayer is the means that God uses to mature us into the fullness of who he created us to be and who he has redeemed us to be in Christ. Two verses in Ephesians shed light on what Paul means. 

12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, (Eph 4:12–13)

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Eph 5:1–2)

Allow me to make this applicable. God, who can do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, could mature us without prayer, but he won’t. It is his will that the children of God grow into the fullness of God as they sit in his presence. That is how we grow into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, and it is how we learn to be imitators of God as beloved children. We seek the presence and provision of our Father in prayer. 

Prayer is a means of grace through which God builds up the church as we commune with Him in the name of Christ and the power of the Spirit. 

The Lord Jesus commanded it, so the Lord expects us to pray. God’s promises accompany prayer. It is the means to spiritual strength, knowing the love of Christ, and growing into the fullness of God. 

So let us respond to the Word of our Lord the best we can. Let us pray.

Nathaniel R. Martin

The Resurrection and the Christian Life: Romans 6:5-11

Sermon Idea: The Christian Life is resurrection life, dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 

Introduction: The Bible contains some powerful conditional phrases. You may not think about conditional phrases much, and that’s ok, but when we allow ourselves to hear them, they can be rather sobering. Let me give you a few examples. 

14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. (1 Co 15:14)

17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. (1 Co 15:17)

19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Co 15:19)

With three powerful conditional phrases, the apostle Paul tells us that our entire Christian faith, ministry, and labors are in vain if Christ is not risen. Those are phrases that pack a punch. 

Oh, but if he is, God has made him both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). If he is, all who confess with (their) mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in (their) heart that God raised him from the dead, (they) will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. (Ro 10:9–10)

I suspect we all understand the importance and centrality of Jesus Christ’s resurrection for the Christian faith. Without the resurrection, there is no Christian faith. I suspect we also recognize the importance of the resurrection for salvation—without the resurrection, there is no salvation. 

I wonder, though, if we have reflected adequately enough on the importance of the resurrection for the Christian life. What connection is there between Christ’s resurrection from the dead and our life as a Christians? How does the resurrection of Jesus inform how we now live? 

Of course, there is a deep, powerful connection between the resurrection and the Christian life because the Christian Life is resurrection life, dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 

The foundational doctrine that supports this connection and which is so important for understanding nearly everything said in the New Testament about what it means to be a Christian is the doctrine of union with Christ. Every Christian is spiritually and mysteriously united to Jesus Christ by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and through faith. 

One of the best descriptions of this doctrine comes from Paul’s personal testimony in Galatians 2:20, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Ga 2:20)

This union with Jesus Christ is how we gain access to the benefits and blessings of salvation. 

The Sixteenth-century Protestant Reformer, John Calvin, was right when he wrote, “We must understand that as long as Christ remains outside of us, and we are separated from him, all that he suffered and died for the salvation of the human race remains useless and of no value for us…All that he possesses is nothing to us until we grow into one body with him.”

In Romans 6, Paul develops the practical implications of union with Christ for the Christian life. He begins by highlighting our union with the death of Christ in Romans 6:1-4.

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Ro 6:1–4)

Paul is answering forcefully any and all who would suggest that the grace of God in salvation is a license to sin. He says in the most emphatic terms, “By no means!” 

The reason why we are not to use God’s grace as a license to keep sinning is that through faith, every Christian has been united to Jesus in his death. How can we who died to sin still live in it? (Rom. 6:2) 

We are not to live in sin, but because of our union with Christ, we are to “walk in newness of life.” (Rom. 6:4) 

So far, though, Paul has only connected the believer with Christ’s death. How can we walk in newness of life? 

This morning’s text supports the main idea Paul wants to communicate in verse 4: Christians are to walk in the newness of life. Union with Christ is not only with his death but also with his resurrection. The Christian life is resurrection life, dead to sin, and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 

My hope this morning is that you’ll be reminded of the great grace and power at work within us. We’ll be stirred to walk in the newness of life all the more because of our blessed union with Christ. 

I.) The Christian life is dead to sin (Romans 6:5-7) 

Since we are united with Christ’s death, we will be united with his resurrection. 

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin (Ro 6:5–7)

Paul says we will be raised one day, just as Christ was raised from the dead. That future assurance is not only the essence of Christian hope but also the fuel for the Christian life in the present. Those who will be physically raised in the future are spiritually raised now through faith in Christ. 

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him (Eph 2:4–6)

The result of dying and being raised with Christ is that he old self that was in bondage to and guilty of sin has been crucified. This means that the Christian life is dead to sin! What does it mean to be dead to sin?

Paul explains that being dead to sin means being set free from slavery. 

When Chris Tomlin wrote his version of the classic hymn Amazing Grace, he added a chorus. 

My chains are gone, I’ve been set free

My God, my Savior has ransomed me

And like a flood His mercy reigns

Unending love, amazing grace

The Christian life is dead to sin, so it is free of sin’s penalty and power. 

The Bible makes it clear that the penalty for sin is separation from God and, ultimately, death. When Adam and Eve fell, they were expelled from the garden. Sin disrupted and fractured their free access to God’s presence. Although they did not die physically right away, they suffered the spiritual death that sin brings. The penalty for sin is death. 

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Ro 6:23)

The gospel’s good news is that those who are in union with Christ are dead to sin and so free from sin’s penalty. We now experience the presence of God through our mediator, Jesus Christ, and although we will all still taste physical death, we have the hope of resurrection. 

Before Jesus rose Lazarus from the dead, he told Martha,  I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. (Jn 11:25–26)

This resurrection Sunday, we must believe that union with Christ means being dead to sin and being free from sin’s penalty. We need to let the amazing freedom of the gospel lead us to greater obedience out of gratitude. 

Not only are we free from sin’s penalty, but we are also free from sin’s power. That is the primary focus of Paul’s encouragement with the words, “…so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin.”

 Being dead to sin means that sin can no longer master the Christian. We have been released from its realm, no longer in its bondage, and freed from its power. 

This is why Paul can say in verse 12, “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body to make you obey its passions,” and in verse 14, “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

At this point, we need to note something very important. Although we are currently free from sin’s penalty and its power, we are not yet free from its presence. Sin and its influence will remain with us until that final day when God makes all things new. 

We are free from sin’s penalty and power, not from its temptations, nor from the spiritual enemies that wish us harm.

14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death (Jas 1:14–15)

8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Pe 5:8)

What’s the point? The Christian life is dead to sin’s power, and so must continually put sin to death as long as it remains present in our lives. We are redeemed but not yet glorified, so we live the Christian life by striving to become more of what God has already declared us to be.   

What the Bible calls us to is what many in the Christian tradition have called mortification. We are to mortify our sin by putting it to death. By grace and in the power of the Spirit, we are to deny temptation, discipline our spiritual lives, and kill any and all sin that remains with us. 

5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming (Col 3:5–6)

13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live (Ro 8:13)

Passages like these led the Puritan John Owen to say, “…be killing sin or it will be killing you.”

We do not kill sin to become dead to sin and right with God. We continue to kill sin because we are right with God, united to Christ, and the power of sin no longer has mastery over us. 

Given the gravity of these commands, it is good for us to reflect on whether we are actively putting sin to death in our own Christian lives and what it may look like if we are not. 

The Christian who is putting sin to death is aware of their vulnerability and seeks to limit opportunities for temptation. 

When I was in college, I was required to read Homer’s The Odyssey for a Great Books Seminar. It is a long epic poem about a character named Odysseus. At one point in the journey, Odysseus learns of the Island of Sirens, which he must pass by. The island was filled with siren singers who would sing a beautiful song, certain to lure men to their death. 

In her classic book on Greek Mythology, Edith Hamilton describes the sirens this way: “These were marvelous singers whose voices would make a man forget all else, and at last their song would steal his life away. Moldering skeletons of those they had lured to their death lay banked high up around them where they sat singing on the shore.”

Odysseus is a perfect example of what not to do in the face of temptation and sin. He commands everyone except for himself on board his ship to fill their ears with wax. He wants to hear the song, so he ties himself to the boat and commands his comrades not to let him get away, no matter how much he attempts to do so. 

Christians who put sin to death don’t act like Odysseus. They grow in their self-awareness and attempt to avoid temptation. When they become aware of sin in their life, they quickly confess, repent, and pray for the grace to change. There is a growing hatred for sin in their lives and a growing desire for holiness in its place. 

What might a life look like that is not killing sin? I want to offer you four quick descriptions of someone who may not be killing sin. 

1. You may not be killing sin if you’re growing more defensive about your habits and life patterns. 

2. You may not be killing sin if you often deflect conversations from spiritual things. 

3. You may not be killing sin if you’re easily distracted and unable to tend to your own spiritual life. 

4. You may not be killing sin if you’re growing distant from your local church and its gatherings. 

How is your walk with the Lord this morning? Which description is most apt for how you seek to follow Jesus day by day? 

Friends, the Christian life is dead to sin. Let us not coddle sin, manage sin, or entertain sin. Let us crucify it by grace and in the power of the Spirit.

II.) The Christian life is alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:8-11)

8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Ro 6:8–11)

There is a deep, powerful connection between the resurrection and the Christian life because the Christian Life is resurrection life, dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 

Our shared union with Christ doesn’t simply crucify the old self that was in bondage to sin, but gives us a new life in the power of Christ’s resurrection. This has great implications for our Christian faith as well. Just as we are commanded to kill sin because of our union with Christ’s death, we are called to walk in the newness of life because of our union with Christ’s resurrection. This has often been called vivification. 

We need to kill vices and cultivate virtues. The Christian life consists of dying to sin and living unto righteousness. 

In other words, we don’t just want to kill greed. We want to grow in generosity. 

We don’t just want to kill bitterness. We want to grow in mercy and forgiveness. 

We don’t just want to kill lust. We want to grow in love and purity. 

This is why, after Paul tells us to put off the old man, we are to put on the new. 

12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (Col 3:12–14)

How does vivification happen in the life of the Christian? How are we continually renewed to walk in the newness of life after killing sin? 

As you might expect, the answer is rather ordinary and involves God’s means of birthing and strengthening our faith. There is no secret to renewed life in Christ, no acceleration program, and no guru who can lifehack your sanctification. 

There is the Word of God and the promise of God’s Spirit to work through the ordinary means of grace corporately and privately for our good and his glory. 

Those who are being vivified by God’s Spirit are immersed in the Word of God, devoted to prayer, and prioritize Christian fellowship and friendship. 

Beloved, you are united with Christ, and the power of his resurrection is at work in you. We can and should walk in the newness of life.

The Christian Life is resurrection life, so let us die to sin and live unto God in Christ Jesus. 

Nathaniel R. Martin

The Ordinary Means of Grace: The Lord’s Supper

Sermon Idea: The Lord’s Supper is a means of grace through which God builds up and nourishes the church with his promised presence. 

Introduction: In a recent and delightful book by Baptist historian Michael Haykin, I learned of a communion hymn written by Charles Haddon Spurgeon. It is called “Jesus’s Presence Delightful,” and it beautifully communicates what I hope to show us this morning. 

Amidst us our Beloved stands, 

And bids us view His pierced hands;

Points to His wounded feet and side. 

Blest emblems of the crucified

What food luxurious loads the board, 

When at His table sits the Lord!

The wine how rich, the bread how sweet, 

When Jesus deigns the guest to meet!

If now with eyes defiled and dim, 

We see the signs, but see not Him, 

O may his love the scales displace, 

And bid us to see Him face to face 

Those beautiful words express a particular understanding of the Lord’s Supper as a means of grace through which the Lord Jesus ministers to his people with his presence. You can hear in the title, “Jesus’s Presence Delightful” and in the lyrics “amidst us our beloved stands,” “bid us view,” “Points to his wounded feet,” “deigns the guest to meet” an unapologetic belief that the person who is primary in the Supper is Christ Jesus. It is his table, his Supper, he provides the bread and wine, and he defines their significance.

It is in this spirit that I offer this sermon this morning, so that we will joyfully embrace the Lord’s Supper as a means of grace through which God builds up and nourishes the church with his promised presence. 

In order to do that, I first want to explain briefly the origin and meaning of the Lord’s Supper. The bulk of our time, however, will given to thinking about how the Lord’s Supper is a means of grace. If all I say this morning is old news to you; I trust that as lovers of Christ, you’ll appreciate reflecting on such rich truths again. 

For the rest of you, I pray that this morning is a real encouragement that allows you to view the Lord’s Supper as more than just a celebration that the church observes. I hope that you’ll leave here with a deeper love for God in Christ because you have a deeper understanding of the benefits of the Lord’s Supper in and for the church. 

So let’s refresh our memories as to the origin and meaning of the Lord’s Supper. 

The Origin of the Lord’s Supper

22 And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” 23 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. 24 And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. 25 Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” (Mk 14:22–25)

The origin of the Lord’s Supper is the transformation of the Passover meal by Jesus. As Jesus partakes of his last Passover meal with his disciples, he gives the meal new meaning in light of his impending death, burial, and resurrection. Passover was and still is for many the annual celebration for God’s deliverance of Israel out of Egypt. God judged the firstborn sons of Egypt, but graciously provided a substitute for Israel. They slaughtered a lamb without blemish and marked their homes with the blood of that lamb. So when the judgment of God came, it passed over all the homes covered by the blood of the lamb. 

Jesus’ choice to institute the Lord’s Supper at the time of Passover places his sacrificial death in the place of sinners at the center of observing the meal. So as believers in Christ partake of the bread and wine they are remembering the sacrifice of Christ in their place and the satisfied wrath of God that passes them over because of the blood of spotless lamb, Jesus Christ. 

After Jesus’ death and resurrection, the church was faithful to observe this Lord’s Supper as primary part of worship. 

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (Ac 2:42)

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. (1 Co 11:23–26)

Paul makes it clear that the church is to observe the Supper in obedience to Christ and the church’s participation has rich meaning. So before we talk specifically about how the Lord’s Supper is a means of grace, let me first review what our participation means. 

  1. We remember- When Jesus institutes the Supper he says plainly, “do this in remembrance of me.” So when the church gathers to observe the Supper, we remember Christ’s death in our place and his shed blood for our sins. It is a gift that God would provide a regular practice for us to remember in a tangible way, using multiple senses the truth that not only saves us but sustains us. 
  1. We fellowship- As the church observes the Supper, the many members of the body of Christ are united in fellowship with one another because they take from one bread and one cup.

17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread (1 Co 10:17)

The regular observance of the Supper is a visible act of worship that rejects rugged individualism. It confesses belonging to Christ and to his people. It is how the many individual members recommit to being one body in Christ as demonstrated by sharing one bread and one cup. 

  1. We proclaim- The Lord’s Supper, like baptism, is a visible word. As we participate in the breaking of bread we proclaim the death of Christ and as we take the cup we proclaim the shed blood of Christ for the forgiveness of sins.  

26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. (1 Cor. 11:26)

As food for thought, no pun intended, we should consider if our practice of observing the Supper appropriately symbolizes fellowship and proclamation. Do we take from one bread visibly expressing our unity in Christ? Is it visibly broken before the congregation to proclaim the crucifixion of Christ before our eyes again and again? You may be tempted to think these things don’t matter, but we lose something important when we lose the symbolism the New Testament says has theological significance for us as a church. 

  1. We anticipate- As we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we look back in remembrance and forward in hope. Listen again to Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians, “26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. (1 Cor. 11:26)

The Supper further instills hope in the church, as we are directed to look forward to Christ’s return. 

It also serves as a dress rehearsal for our future dining with the Lord at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. 

7  Let us rejoice and exult 

and give him the glory, 

for the marriage of the Lamb has come, 

and his Bride has made herself ready; 

8  it was granted her to clothe herself 

with fine linen, bright and pure”— 

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. 

9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. (Re 19:7–9)

  1. We give thanks- Before breaking the bread and passing the cup, the Gospel writers tell us that Jesus gave thanks. As we partake in the Supper we are to prayerfully thank God for his gracious provision for us in the gospel and in the ordinance given to us as a means of grace. For this reason, the Lord’s Supper can be called the Eucharist which is simply a transliteration of the greek term for thanksgiving. Partaking in the bread and the cup should protect the church from ungratefulness and cynicism. 

Remembrance of Christ and the forgiveness of sins, fellowship and unity in the body of Christ, proclamation of Christ’s death, anticipation of Christ’s return, and thanksgiving for all the blessings God gracious provision in Christ. This is the rich meaning of the Lord’s Supper from the perspective of our observance of it. 

Thinking about the Lord’s Supper as a means of grace means that must go beyond its meaning as we participate, but consider what God is doing while we observe the Supper in faith. 

I.) The Lord’s Supper is a meal of covenant blessing and renewal 

The Lord’s Supper is a covenant meal, so that every time we partake in it God reassures us of the promises of the new covenant and we renew our covenant commitment to God in response to his grace. The association between the Lord’s Supper and the new covenant is strong in the Gospels.

“Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (Mt 26:27–28)

24 And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. (Mk 14:24)

20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood (Lk 22:20)

If you’ve studied Exodus you’ll know that the old covenant was ratified by the shedding of blood followed by a covenant meal. All of these passages in the Gospels echo Exodus 24:1-11 where God instructs Moses sprinkle the blood of sacrifice on the alter and on the people of Israel. After this they ate and a drank in the presence of God. 

7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” 8 And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.” 

9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. 11 And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank. (Ex 24:7–11)

Just as both blood and a covenant meal ratify the Old Covenant, so the new covenant is ratified by the blood of Christ and the meal of Christ, the Lord’s Supper. 

This means that every time we partake in the Supper, God assures us again of his promises in the new covenant. To take the bread and the cup in faith is to hear again that we’re in Christ, our sins are forgiven, and we know the Lord. 

It is also a means of grace, though, because as a covenant meal, it provides the opportunity to renew our covenant commitment to the Lord. Every time we partake of the bread and the cup in faith, we reaffirm our allegiance to Christ. It allows us the opportunity to put off sin and renew our commitment to Christ, not empowered by self-discipline, effort, or works but powered by the grace of God promised to us in the Supper. 

The Lord’s Supper is a covenant meal and an act of covenant renewal, so it is a means of grace. 

II.) The Lord’s Supper is communion with the presence of Christ

We said earlier that the Lord’s Supper is a memorial of the death of Christ, but it is more than a memorial. It is a means of grace through which we have communion with the presence of Christ in the Holy Spirit. 

Throughout church history, the question of how Christ is present in the Lord’s supper has been very divisive. The Roman Catholic Church believes that the bread and wine turns literally into the flesh and blood of Jesus. 

Lutherans say that bread and wine remain bread and wine but that the body of Jesus is still mysteriously present in them. 

Others say that the Supper is strictly a memorial. 

A more biblical and richer view than these three is that Christ is spiritually present, and all the benefits he accomplished for us are present in the Supper. This means that when believers take the bread and cup in faith, we share in a real communion with Christ, who is spiritually present. The bread and wine remain bread and wine, but by faith and through the work of the Spirit, we have communion with the body and blood of Christ. 

Where might we go for biblical support of this position? Look with 1 Cor. 10:16-17

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? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 1 Co 10:16–17

The key word is “participation.” This is the Greek word Koinonia. Consider the way it is translated in other English versions: ‘sharing’ (NASB, CSB) and ‘communion’ (KJV, NKJV). To help us better understand what Koinonia may mean, we can consider an earlier use of the word in 1 Corinthians. 

9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship (Koinonia) of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Co 1:9)

So in the Lord’s Supper we have present (!) fellowship or communion in Christ’s blood and body. 

“If Paul is taking about a present communion with ‘the blood’ and ‘the body of Christ’ and if Christ is no longer dying or dead, then the communion he is referring to is communion with the living, exalted Christ now. This is present communion with the living and exalted Lord of glory. The communion must be with the present benefits procured by his broken body and shed blood, for his body is no longer broken and his blood has finished its shedding.” – Richard Barcellos

To observe the Lord’s Supper is to eat Christ’s provided meal at Christ’s provided table in his promised presence. 

III.) The Lord’s Supper is spiritual nourishment from the Spirit of Christ 

Since the Lord’s Supper is meal that signifies the body and blood of Christ, since it is remembering and proclaiming the gospel, since it is to hear new covenant promises and an act of covenant renewal, since it is communion with the promised presence of Christ—it is spiritual nourishment from the Spirit of Christ. Just as bread and wine offer physical sustenance to the body, so the Supper taken in faith is spiritual nourishment by the work of the Spirit. 

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, (Eph 1:3)

The phrase “spiritual blessings” refers to the blessings bestowed by the Holy Spirit. They are spiritual blessings in that they are the blessings applied by the Spirit. The blessings signified in the Lord’s Supper are certainly blessings in the heavenly places. 

When we take the Lord’s Supper, the Holy Spirit indwells us, nourishes, strengthens and sustains us.

How might this change your perspective on observing the Lord’s Supper? Does it change your view of how frequently it should be celebrated? Does it cause you to prioritize being present when the Lord’s Supper is celebrated?

“Often, many Christians treat the Lord’s Supper as only an occasional occurrence when we think about the death of Jesus, but it is so much more. A visible sermon is heralded, and the Holy Spirit ministers the spiritual presence of Christ to the faithful participant. Oh what a joy, believer! Our souls are fed and our faith is nourished as we partake of this meal. What a feast, and what a Savior who does everything necessary to grant you a seat at the table. Christian, this is more than just a time to think about the cross; it is a very real feast with Jesus—a feast where your very faith is enriched, strengthened, and increased.” – J. Ryan Davidson

Nathaniel R. Martin

Let us Weep with You: Grieving Sisters, the Local Church, and Mother’s Day

After four years of trying to have a child, my wife exited the bathroom with tears in her eyes. The crushing blow of a miscarriage accompanied our first sign that she could conceive. I remember crying, holding one another, grieving, and praying. What I also remember is still gathering with God’s people, attending our small group, and being vulnerable with the church about our situation. I remember they prayed for us, loved us, and provided support for us. Most of all, I remember gathering in the presence of God and his people to be reminded of the grace of the gospel and the true nature of Christian hope.

Like all of life, Mother’s Day is a mixture of joy and sorrow. Life in a fallen world does not let us enjoy the former too long before we must face the latter. To be sure, churches can handle this poorly by not acknowledging both realities. It is not loving to acknowledge the oldest mother or the one with the most children without also grieving with those waiting in a season of infertility or mothers grieving the loss of a child. Having said that, we don’t want to overreact and wrongly believe motherhood isn’t worth celebrating. We can and should do both. 

The potential pain that Mother’s Day acknowledgments can bring may tempt some women to avoid their local church gatherings altogether. As this day approaches, I want to encourage these struggling sisters gently. I want to admonish those who may be tempted to avoid gathering with their local church to decide now that they will do so. Why should you commit to gathering despite the sorrow it may induce? 

  1. Go to testify to the sufficiency of God’s grace. Gathering on this difficult day testifies to the church that the grace of God is sufficient for the Christian life, even in suffering. When Paul pleaded with God to take away his thorn in the flesh, God responded, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor. 12:9). Coming to church in weakness directs people away from ourselves to the power of Christ that rests upon us.
  1. Go to display and receive love from your fellow members. Gathering with the local church allows us to obey God’s commands to love one another. We are told in Romans 12:15, Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” In Galatians, Paul encourages the church to “…do good to everyone, and especially to those who are in the household of faith.” It’s a glorious testimony to the gospel of Christ to watch a grieving woman celebrate the blessing of another sister in Christ. It is a glorious testimony to the gospel of Christ to watch a mother with reasons for joy choose to weep with a sister in waiting or grief. Jesus told us the world would know us by our love for one another, and Mother’s Day presents a unique opportunity to love as a testimony to the power of the gospel in our lives. 
  1. Go to exemplify how the local church is central to Christian discipleship. The local church is God’s primary means for maturing disciples of Jesus Christ. Gathering with God’s people on the Lord’s Day is a command, and it is for our good (1 Cor. 11:17-22; Heb. 10:25). When a grieving woman gathers with God’s people, they exemplify an appropriate fear of the Lord born out of God’s loving grace to her. She exemplifies a belief that God’s commands to his people are good and that those commands are not optional based on how we feel at any given moment. 
  1. Go to testify to the nature of Christian hope. Gathering with the local church testifies to the true nature of Christian hope. All of us will suffer and struggle in some capacity. The Christian’s hope is not centered on the best version of our life now but is centered on Christ, who has promised to return to judge the living and the dead. He has promised resurrection life, and eternal blessedness in his presence. He has promised to wipe away every tear from our eyes and that sin and death will one day be no more (Revelation 21:1-5). Committing to gather with the local church testifies that Christ is our only hope in life and death. 

If you’re still waiting, grieving the loss of a child, or simply missing a dear mother whose long been with the Lord, sorrow will accompany your gathering with God’s people. It is because this is true that grieving sisters have all the more reason to gather with their church this Mother’s Day. Let us weep with you.  

Nathaniel R. Martin

The Blessings of Justification: Romans 5:1-5

Sermon Idea: God gives peace, grace, and joyful hope to all justified by faith in Christ. 

Introduction: If you were to ask me growing up if I was a Christian, I would have said yes. I had been baptized in the first grade, old enough to remember the experience and way too young to understand anything that was happening to me. My parents separated and divorced before I could form any meaningful memories of us as a family. Early on, my church exposure was sporadic, not in places where the gospel was faithfully preached. During a short season when we did attend church, I saw a terrifying drama about demons and Hell that scarred me to the point of making it difficult to sleep. 

I remember telling one of my parents how scared I was, and she arranged a meeting with the pastor, who guided me in a prayer that I repeated. He assured me that the words I repeated meant I was saved. I was baptized as a first grader, but I had no understanding of sin, the good news of the gospel, repentance, faith, or the cost of discipleship. I grew up believing I was a Christian because I believed in God, lived in America, and was baptized as a young child. Despite this profession, I lived my life void of faith, and the fruit comes from it. 

By God’s grace, my Dad came to saving faith in Christ at the age of 38. He was baptized at First Baptist, Metropolis, became a member, and has followed Jesus since. This meant that I attended a bible-believing, gospel-preaching church every other weekend. This was a good thing. That said, I now had four reasons I could give someone for why I was a Christian: I believed in God, lived in America,  was baptized, and went to church at least every other weekend. 

Outwardly, I appeared fine. I was respectful and rarely got into trouble, but I was a wreck on the inside. This was exacerbated in my freshman year of High School when the dysfunction of my family peaked and started a series of painful and traumatic events, the consequences of which lasted years. 

From the age of 14 to 17, I spiraled internally. I had no peace; my life was void of happiness, not to mention joy, and I was not hopeful about anything. I would have told you I was a Christian while living far from God without any peace, joy, or hope. 

I was close to rock bottom in my junior year, on the verge of making very poor decisions, when my Dad signed me up for a youth retreat in Gatlinburg, TN. It was not a youth retreat I was eager to attend. The advertisement was void of fun. This is not Student Life. It was a youth retreat centered around singing hymns and expositional preaching. 

There was one sermon I remember particularly well. It was from Romans 5:1-5. The preacher began by telling of a student he met while preaching on a college campus. The student asked him, what’s so good about being a Christian anyway? What’s the big deal? The preachers then used Romans 5:1-5 to answer that question. 

God gives peace, grace, and joyful hope to all justified by faith in Christ. 

I sat there and thought to myself, “I have no peace, joy, or hope.” If a Christian is someone who has been made right with God through Jesus Christ, and the fruit of that is peace, joy, and hope, then I must not be a Christian. 

Being a Christian could not be summed up in several activities that I do: I believe in God, I was baptized, and I attend church every other weekend. Being a Christian is about believing in what God has done in Jesus Christ and trusting God in Christ alone. 

I did not say a prayer, but I was changed. I believed in the gospel of Jesus Christ, his finished work on the cross, and I had, for the first time, what Jonathan Edwards called religious affections: a zealous desire for God, His word, and his church. 

It took me about six months to realize exactly what had happened to me. I understood that I did not renew my faith that weekend but had true faith for the first time. God’s grace had saved me through faith in Christ! I was eventually baptized shortly after this based on my genuine profession of faith, and I’ve been following Jesus Christ since. 

I want to ask you the same question: what’s so good about being a Christian? My sermon will be different, but my hope is the same. I hope that believers in Jesus will be edified as they reflect on the glorious benefits of justification. I hope all who, like me, thought Christianity could be summed up in a few things I do will see the true gospel of grace and be drawn to Jesus Christ. 

God gives peace, grace, and joyful hope to all justified by faith in Christ. 

It is important to note that these three benefits result from justification by faith. Those who are justified have peace, access to grace, and joyful hope. Those who are not justified do not have peace with God, no access to grace, and are without hope. 

So, what is justification by faith? 

Put simply, God declares all who put their faith in Jesus Christ righteous before him. God gives the guilty a not-guilty verdict in the great courtroom of heaven. That is justification. God does this totally by grace through our faith in Jesus Christ. 

How does he do that? If sinners are guilty before him, how can he declare us to be not guilty and righteous before him? 

He does this in the most amazing way. When we trust in Christ, God considers Jesus’ perfect life to be our life and his sacrificial death to be our payment for sin. On the cross, Jesus dies, paying the penalty for all our sins, and through faith, we receive Jesus’ perfect obedience to our account. Christ is our righteousness! 

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. (Ro 3:23–25)

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Co 5:21)

Justification is the truth we sing about in the beautiful hymn, Before the Throne of God Above. 

Because the sinless Savior died,

My sinful soul is counted free;

For God, the Just, is satisfied

To look on Him and pardon me.

To be justified is to stand before God with a righteousness that is not yours. It is to stand before God robed in the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. 

This act of justification is God’s work alone by his grace, but he does it through our faith. Put simply, we are made right with God by placing our trust in Jesus Christ and depending on his perfect life rather than our own.

Faith, if not defined, can seem ambiguous, so what is it? 

The New Testament describes faith as “…the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Heb 11:1)

The best of the Christian tradition has taught that faith consists of three elements: knowledge, assent, and trust. To have true faith, you must know the truth of the gospel, who Jesus is, and what he has done on the cross and resurrection. You have to assent that this is true. Most of all, your faith is trust in Jesus Christ, who is at the center of this knowledge you’ve assented to. 

The Bible emphasizes the importance of this last element. It is possible to have knowledge and even assent that this knowledge is true but fall short of the trust that is saving faith. 

Satan and the demons are an example. They have knowledge and believe it to be true; they just hate the truth. 

19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! (Jas 2:19)

As we answer the question, What’s so good about being a Christian, remember that these blessings are only true of those who are justified by faith in Christ. If Christianity to you is simply getting your life together or getting back in church, but you have not placed your faith in Christ and trusted his finished work and righteousness as your standing before God, then you are not a Christian, and these benefits are not true of you. 

I pray that if they are not, God will use this sermon to make it true of you today or sometime in the future. 

So, what benefits of justification make being a Christian so good? Let’s look at verse one to see that we have peace with God. 

I.) We have peace with God (Rom. 5:1) 

…we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ro 5:1)

Before discussing the nature of this peace, we need to be very clear about two things. First, it is peace with God. Second, it is through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, there are two important truths that we can draw from this one verse.

First, no one is naturally at peace with God. There is a fracture and a hostility between God and sinners because of their sin. No one is exempt from this because all have sinned. 

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Ro 3:23)

12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned (Ro 5:12)

As a result of sin, we are not children of God naturally, but we are children of wrath. As Paul reminds us, before Christ, we “were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” (Eph 2:3)

We deserve God’s just punishment and we are in need of peace with him. 

As important as it is to recognize that peace is necessary, it is also important to recognize that peace can only be accomplished through Jesus Christ. God cannot be negotiated with. There is no loophole we can access peace apart from Christ. The God-Man is the only mediator between God and man. 

5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time (1 Ti 2:5–6)

19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Col 1:19–20)

What is meant then by peace with God? The peace referred to here is a spiritual peace, which ends all the hostility and enmity between God and the sinner, reconciling the sinner to God and bringing them into a new relationship marked by God’s favor and blessing. 

It is crucial to see that this peace is not just negative. It is not just the absence of conflict. Many of us would settle for an absence of conflict between Russia and Ukraine or between Israel and the Palestinians. 

The peace we have with God is more than the absence of conflict. It is the blessed life in Christ, where our sins are forgiven, and we commune with God as children, sons and daughters of God. 

Now, it is quite possible to truly have peace with God, but not always to feel that peace in the same way. Sometimes, sin can temporarily disrupt our feelings of peace; our life circumstances may cool them for a time, but the believer who has it knows this and pursues peace all the more. So be encouraged, saint. Your awareness of your sin and spiritual dryness may impact a subject feeling of peace for a season, but your awareness of it testifies to the reality that you are at peace with God. 

It is also quite possible to feel at peace but lack true peace with God through faith in Christ. 

One theologian says it this way, “The unconverted and ungodly frequently have a dead and insensitive conscience. They, not being smitten by their conscience, imagine within themselves that all is well before God and that they have peace with God. How rudely they will be awakened, however, and come to the realization that they are children of wrath and never have had peace with God! 

Do you have peace with God this morning? The only way to be at peace with him is through faith in Jesus Christ. Believer, rest in Christ, who is your peace. Non-Christians, come to Christ, who makes peace by the blood of his cross. 

What’s so good about being a Christian? We have peace with God. 

II.) We have access to grace (Rom. 5:2) 

The second blessing of justification is access to grace, 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand (Ro 5:2)

Notice again the emphasis on all these benefits being through Jesus Christ.   The justified by faith in Christ are granted access to God’s grace through Christ. This grace is where Christians stand; it’s not passing or fleeting. This is not a reference to a mere decision but to a disciple who lives and is sustained by the very grace of God. 

The grace mentioned here is not saving grace but sustaining grace. It is the access to grace for our perseverance, strengthening, help, and comfort. 

The word “access” is simple to understand. We can consider scenarios and locations that restrict our access. For instance, think of the Oval Office, which does not allow free access. To attempt to access the Oval Office without consent would result in imprisonment at the minimum and death at the worst. 

Friends, in Christ Jesus, we have access to something far greater than the Oval Office. We have access to the very presence and grace of God.

15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 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. (Heb 4:15–16)

The word stand is worth reflecting on because it describes a permanent state. A Christian is someone who lives by and in the grace of God. The grace of God permeates their being, so they are Christians always and everywhere. 

A few months ago, Kels and I got a date away from the kids. We went to Patti’s for a nice meal to celebrate her birthday. I was excited because these times are so rare, and they were non-existent when we lived in North Carolina. They put us in a secluded room called the Robin’s Nest. In it is a round table, with 6 or 8 chairs. First, Kels took a picture to show the kids and talked about how we could have brought them with us! Why is that? No matter where she goes, momma can never stop being momma. 

A believer in the Lord Jesus Christ thinks, speaks, and acts in reference to God and his Word. They do not compartmentalize their spiritual life from the rest of their life. They are one and the same. The Christian life is to stand in a state of grace, granted access to the very throne of God! 

Does this describe you? Is Christ your life or merely a supplement to your life? Do you stand in grace with access to God? All who are justified by faith 

How sweet it is to know that we are not left to ourselves. We are not without God’s sustaining grace!

What’s so good about being a Christian? We have access to grace. 

III.) We have joyful hope (Rom. 5:2-5) 

and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Ro 5:2–5)

The justified possess joyful hope for the future that fuels the present. We can rejoice in our hope because our future inheritance is to be glorified by God. One day, we will see God as he is. We will dwell with God when sin and death are a thing of the past, and we’ll live as humans were meant to live—perfected in the gracious presence of God. 

What’s good about being a Christian? We don’t have to fear the future because our future is filled with hope. This hope is not a mere wish but a promised possession. It awaits us; one day, we will fully know it. 

Notice though that Christian hope is future, but it’s also present, Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, (Ro 5:3-5)

Rejoice in our sufferings? What makes this good? This does not mean that we enjoy suffering; rather, we rejoice even in our suffering. That is because those justified by faith in Christ know that their suffering is not meaningless but produces endurance, character, and hope that doesn’t put us to shame. 

I’m convinced that most people who are into physical fitness do not actually enjoy the physical labor of exercising. They do not enjoy the pain they put their body through. What is it that they love? They enjoy the results of the exercise. They know that the temporary pain produces stronger muscles, better mental health, etc.  

The suffering we endure as believers is like a spiritual exercise that strengthens us. Just as an athlete doesn’t rejoice in putting their body through suffering, but in the results that suffering produces, believers rejoice not in their suffering, but in all that suffering produces. 

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (Jas 1:2–4)

What’s so good about being a Christian? We have true hope that is both present and future. We will not be put to shame! God will not waste moments of our suffering, pain, and discomfort. It will all be redeemed and purposed for our good and his glory. 

God gives peace, grace, and joyful hope to all justified by faith in Christ. 

Give a clear gospel invitation and call for a response. 

Nathaniel R. Martin

The Ordinary Means of Grace: Baptism

Sermon Idea: Baptism is a means of grace through which God builds up his church by his promised presence. 

Introduction: Do you remember your baptism? Do you remember who baptized you, where you were, and what church affirmed your baptism? Did you have family and friends present? Did denounce one way of life and profess faith in Christ Jesus, submitting to a new way of life. 

Better yet, how now do you reflect on your baptism? What meaning, significance, and benefit does it still have for your Christian life? Baptism is a one-time act for the Christian, but its meaning, significance, and benefit define the entirety of the Christian life. This is because baptism is a means of grace through which God builds up his church by his promised presence. 

I hope to encourage you this morning by reminding you of all that your baptism signifies. I pray that doing so will strengthen your ability to walk in the newness of life. 

Two great errors in our thinking about Christian baptism make discussing it as a means of grace potentially difficult. Some overestimate baptism’s role in salvation and others underestimate its importance in and for the church. 

The error of overestimating baptism’s role in salvation is that some see that act of baptism as salvific in and of itself. Allow me to say, at the outset, we deny that without hesitation. The act of water baptism itself is not necessary as a work for salvation. We are saved by God’s grace alone in Christ alone through Faith alone. 

42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Lk 23:42–43)

Of course, this is an extreme example. So we need not fall into the opposite error, the one more prevalent in Baptist circles, of underestimating the importance of baptism in and for the church. There is a temptation to think that because baptism is not necessary for salvation, it is not necessary. This is the temptation to think that baptism really means little and that it is simply the first act of obedience to Jesus as his disciple. 

Understanding baptism as a means of grace helps us avoid both of these errors by seeing it as ordained by Jesus Christ for our good to build up the church by his promised presence. I began by reading Matthew 28:18-20. Let’s look again and see both of these truths—that baptism is ordained by the Lord Jesus and accompanied by his promised presence. 

19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Mt 28:19–20)

Along with baptism being instituted by the Lord Jesus, in which he promises his presence, notice that baptism is first something that happens to believers and second only what believers do. What do I mean by that? 

We don’t baptize ourselves; we are baptized, and God puts his name on us in baptism. Isn’t that incredible? God, in his grace, gives us a new identity defined by his own name. We are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit. 

Of course, baptism is a believer’s act—I don’t want to downplay that at all. It is a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus. It is the first act of obedience as a disciple of Jesus Christ, but it’s vital to note that our act, by necessity, comes second. We are baptized because God has saved us in Christ, so God’s purpose is primary in baptism.

So although baptism in and of itself does not save, it is necessary because it was instituted by the Lord Jesus. It’s how we are incorporated into Christ and his church, receiving the promise of his presence.  

If we are to appreciate and understand baptism as a means of grace, we need to understand that baptism is a sign. We see covenant signs given to God’s people throughout the Bible. After the flood, Noah is given the rainbow, renewing the covenant at creation. Abraham is given circumcision as a sign of belonging to the covenant community. Moses is given the Sabbath as a sign on Mt. Sinai. The sign of the new covenant is baptism. It signifies something, says something, or preaches something. 

We call baptism a sign because it is a visible word from the Lord that communicates and assures us of the gospel of Jesus Christ. To remind ourselves of this and reflect on what baptism signifies, I want to read three confessional definitions of baptism. Each of these comes from historic Baptist confessions of faith, albeit from different streams. Listen to the consistency in how these confessions refer to baptism as a sign of the real benefits we have in Christ. 

Baptism is an ordinance of the new testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, to be unto the party baptized, or dipped, a sign of our entrance into the covenant of grace, and ingrafting into Christ, in his death and resurrection, and our living, or rising to new life. – The Orthodox Creed 28

Baptism is an ordinance of the New Testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, to be unto the party baptized, a sign of his fellowship with him, in his death and resurrection; of his being engrafted into him; of remission of sins; and of giving up into God, through Jesus Christ, to live and walk in newness of life. Second London Baptist Confession of Faith 29.1 

Baptism is an ordinance of the Lord Jesus, obligatory upon every believer, wherein he is immersed in water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, as a sign of his fellowship with the death and resurrection of Christ, of remission of sins, and of giving himself up to God, to live and walk in newness of life. It is prerequisite to church fellowship, and to participation in the Lord’s Supper. – Abstract of Principles XV

In all of these statements, the sign is the professing believer’s immersion into water, which signifies life in Christ and all its benefits. 

It is a sign not only for the baptized but also for the church affirming the profession of faith in baptism. This point is really important for us because it makes every baptism an opportunity to be built up again by the grace of God. 

J. Ryan Davidson says it this way, “…as someone is lowered into the water  and raised to walk symbolically, in newness of life, each of us has the ability to reflect on our own baptism. Our baptism then becomes a sign again and again and again that the Lord uses to nurture us in our faith. It is a means of grace.”

At Hermon, I encouraged the congregation not to view baptisms as passive participants. After explaining the meaning of baptism, I would encourage the congregation to do three things. They all start with “R,” because I just can’t help myself.

  1. Rejoice 

8 “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ 10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Lk 15:8–10)

  1. Remember 
  1. Respond 
  • Repent and believe the gospel. 
  • Reflect and return to faithful obedience.

For the remainder of our time together, I want to reflect specifically on five realities that baptism signifies. Every time we baptize, God proclaims visibly glorious truths about who we are in Christ. To do this well, we have to examine several texts.

 As we do this, it will be helpful to know that the New Testament often uses baptism to express all that is involved in conversion. We use language this way frequently, though often in less significant manners. Two examples provided by one writer are phrases like “all hands on deck,” where “hands” refers to sailors, and “Check out my wheels,” when asking someone to appreciate your car. 

I.) Baptism proclaims union with Christ 

This is the most fundamental sign of baptism that grounds all the others. In salvation, we are gloriously united to Christ by the Spirit so that what is true of him becomes true of us. This is because God considers us to have died with Christ and to have been raised with Christ. From this union, we receive glorious benefits. Being united with Christ, the Son of God, we are adopted as sons and daughters of God. Being united to Christ, who is righteous, leads to God seeing us righteous in Christ. Being united with Christ, who is holy, leads to God sanctifying us and setting us apart as holy. 

Baptism signifies this union because the believer is visibly immersed in the water, symbolizing being buried with Christ, and then is brought back up to symbolize being raised with Christ. Listen to Romans 6:1-4.

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Ro 6:1–4)

When a new believer is baptized, it is visible assurance that God really does consider their old self to be crucified with Christ. They can rest assured that God really has raised them to new life. This means that in baptism God grants you a new identity that is defined by the person and work of Jesus Christ. 

For all those viewing the baptism, the proclamation of our union with Christ reminds them that they have been buried with Christ in baptism and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life. They are reminded that their identity is defined by Christ. 

Remembering your baptism is a means of grace because it provides assurance when we are tempted to feel guilt over forgiven sin and provides fuel and motivation for present obedience, How can we who died to sin still live in it? 

II.) Baptism proclaims cleansing from sin 

One of the glorious implications of being united with Christ is that our sins are forgiven and so we are cleansed of our sins. Baptism proclaims visibly in a powerful way, because of the use of water that washes over our whole person. Do you see how baptism by immersion into water is so fitting to signify cleansing from sin? This is why in Acts, when Paul recounts his conversion he speaks to baptism as the washing away of sin. 

 14 And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; 15 for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’ (Ac 22:13–16)

Think about how baptism signifying cleansing from sin can minister to your soul. When tempted to return to shame, remember your baptism. When tempted to return to sin, remember your baptism. Those who’ve been baptized into Christ have been washed by the Spirit of God in the name of Christ. 

11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (1 Co 6:11)

There is no stain of sin that can stick when your washed by the Spirit and in baptism. Your baptism signifies the forgiveness of past sin, but it signifies the promise of forgiveness for present and future sin. 

III.) Baptism proclaims new life in Christ 

Baptism signifies that since we’ve died with Christ we also have been raised to new life in Christ. This life is eternal and was not earned by us, but graciously bestowed upon us through faith in Jesus Christ. 

4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Ro 6:4)

12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. (Col 2:11–12)

What we also need to reflect on is that since the life we have is eternal, then baptism is a means to proclaim and assure us of the resurrection from the dead. Remembering our baptism and viewing baptisms throughout our Christian life allows us to anticipate in hope that God will raise us just as he raised Christ. 

This is why I really appreciate how the Baptist Fatih & Message includes testimony to the final resurrection in its article on baptism. 

It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. 

IV.) Baptism proclaims assurance in Christ 

18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him. (1 Pe 3:18–22)

This is one of the most difficult passages in the New Testament to interpret and understand. I put in a ton of work on these verses when I preached through 1 Peter. For our purpose this morning, we can focus on what Peter tells us about how baptism brings assurance. 

First, we need to carefully note that baptism saves, not in the act itself. It doesn’t save, says Peter, “as removal of dirt from the body.” 

Baptism saves 1.) as an appeal to God for a good conscience and 2.) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

What does Peter mean by appealing to God for a good conscience? Baptism is truly the Bible’s version of the sinner’s prayer. It represents how someone responds to the good news of the gospel and appeals to God. Baptism itself doesn’t accomplish anything, but because the believer has faith in Christ, it assures them of God’s promises, leading to a good conscience. Baptism points to the God who saves us in Christ, allowing the baptized individual to rest in their union with Him, cleansing from sin, newness of life, and so on. 

Remembering your baptism brings assurance because we can know that God’s promises are yes to our prayers. I am not saying that you can’t value a pivotal moment in your life when you responded to an altar call or treasure a family member leading you in prayer in response to the gospel. 

However, it is crucial to acknowledge that what the New Testament urges us to remember is our baptism for assurance and growth. Just consider all the passages we’ve already read. Remembering our baptism lies at the heart of them all, with spiritual maturity, obedience, and assurance as their goals. Baptism serves as a means of grace.

V.) Baptism proclaims incorporation into the body of Christ 

Baptism most certainly marks us out from the world and incorporates us into the body of Christ, the church. It is the means God uses to change our status in relation to the church. It is our initiation into the covenant people of God. 

One significant consequence of this is that baptism proclaims unity within the body of Christ. The church consists of individuals from various places and cultures. Although these distinctions persist, a common unity transcends them. Baptism just doesn’t communicate something about an individual’s relationship with God but with the church. 

4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Eph 4:4–6)

12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. (1 Co 12:12–13)

Baptism is more than just an act of obedience; it’s more than a symbol. It’s a sign and a symbol of grace through which God builds up the church. It is a visible word through which we see the proclamation of union with Christ, cleansing of sin, new life, assurance, and incorporation into the body of Christ. 

Application 

  1. Repent and be baptized 
  1. Remember your baptism 
  1. Rest in the assurance of God’s grace signified in baptism 
Nathaniel R. Martin

The Ordinary Means of Grace: The Preaching of the Word (1 Peter 1:22-2:3)

Sermon Idea: The preaching of the Word is a means of conversion and a means of grace through which Christ speaks to His people. 

Introduction: I don’t usually like to begin a sermon by reviewing the previous week’s message, but in this particular case, it is a bit of a requirement. Last week, I introduced the ordinary means of grace, setting the stage for the remaining five weeks.

We began by looking at Acts 2:41-42,41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (Ac 2:41–42)

This is an incredible passage that gives us insight into the worship priorities of the early church. After all the wondrous, extraordinary acts of God at Pentecost, what did the early church devote themselves to as they gathered? What did they continue, persist, and persevere in? They were devoted to what later Christians would call the ordinary means of grace. 

For the sake of clarity, let me offer a definition adapted from J. Ryan Davidson’s helpful little book, Green Pastures. 

The ordinary means of grace are the instruments Christ ordinarily uses to birth and strengthen the faith of God’s people as He is present among them.

Of course, ordinary is not intended to connote boring or uninteresting but to the regular means God uses to strengthen our faith by his grace. It also refers to what has been ordained by Christ for this purpose. You can hear the word connection between ordinary and ordained. 

To say something is a “means” is to say it is an instrument or a medium through which something is accomplished. 

Although God can and does use a variety of good things for our edification, the reason why these means—the ministry of the Word, Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and prayer—are identified as means of grace is because they were instituted by the Lord Jesus for practice in the church and accompanied by a promised blessing from God. 

So last week’s sermon introduced the ordinary means of grace by exploring three points: God saves the church by his grace, God builds the church up by his grace, and God builds up the church by grace through ordinary means.

This morning we are going to see that the preaching of the Word is a means of conversion and a means of grace through which Christ speaks to His people. 

The Westminster Larger Catechism states really beautifully what I hope to show you in 1 Peter this morning. 

Q. 155. How is the word made effectual to salvation?

  1. The Spirit of God makes the reading, but especially the preaching of the word, an effectual means of enlightening, convincing, and humbling sinners; of driving them out of themselves, and drawing them unto Christ; of conforming them to his image, and subduing them to his will; of strengthening them against temptations and corruptions; of building them up in grace, and establishing their hearts in holiness and comfort through faith unto salvation.

We will look at a number of passages this morning, but we will allow 1 Peter 1:22-2:3 to be our primary foundation because it contains two of the three major points this morning in one passage. Peter helps us see that the preaching of the Word is a means of conversion and a means of grace. Let’s look at verses 22-25 and see how Peter describes the preaching of the Word as a means of conversion. 

I.) The preaching of the Word is a means of conversion (1 Peter 1:22-25)

Peter’s main point in these verses is to encourage the church to love one another because they have been born again. I want us to see how Peter describes their conversion and how Peter identifies the means of their conversion. 

He first describes their conversion as purifying their souls to obedience to the truth. That is, through repentance and faith in Christ, they have “obeyed” the gospel preaching, which is identified here as the truth. 

It is common in the New Testament to refer to the gospel as the truth. For example in Ephesians 1:13 Paul says, and in him you also, when you head the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. 

To obey the truth is to respond to the preaching of the gospel with repentance and faith. 

So Peter is in no way saying they have saved themselves because our passage already clearly states in verses 18-19 that they were purified by the blood of Christ. 

18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. (1 Pe 1:18–19)

God has saved them by grace because of the finished work of Christ,  but their response may be appropriately called obedience to the truth. 

What is most important for our purposes, though, is the clarity Peter gives us regarding the means of their conversion. The means God used to convert them was the Word of God. Let’s look carefully at verses 23-24. 

23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for 

“All flesh is like grass 

and all its glory like the flower of grass. 

The grass withers, 

and the flower falls, 

25  but the word of the Lord remains forever.” 

And this word is the good news that was preached to you. (1 Pe 1:23–25)

God causes us to be born again, but the instrument or the means used is the Word of God. The Word of God is living and abiding because God lives and abides forever. His Word is not like the flesh or the grass; it’s not like the kingdoms of man that rise and fall like Babylon or Rome. No, the Word of God is living and abiding. It is powerful, and it is the good news that God uses to convert sinners. Notice the emphasis on preaching in verse 25, and this was the good news that was preached to you. 

And if this is true, it’s hard to think of any activity for the church to prioritize more than preaching the gospel. God saves through the preaching of the gospel, so preaching is central to the church’s life.  

14 How then will they 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? 15 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!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Ro 10:14–17) 

The Word of God, the gospel, is the power of God for salvation. It is a means of conversion through which God has ordained to work. 

The world can think little of preaching all it wants. It can scoff and mock, but Michael Horton is right when he writes, “Though seemingly powerless and ineffective, the creaturely mediation of his Word through faltering human lips is the most powerful thing on earth.”

The power of the gospel is illustrated beautifully by the true story of Elias Keach. That name may not be familiar to you, but his father, Benjamin Keach, was a very influential Baptist theologian and pastor in London in the 17th Century. 

Well, his son Elias Keach was an unbeliever who moved to America and decided the best way for him to make a living was to use his family name and pose as a pastor to make a living. What happens during this time is rather astonishing.

As he preached the truths of the gospel as an unbelieving poser, the Spirit of God gripped his heart in the pulpit and converted him. He paused, trembled with tears in his eyes, confessed his sin, and that day marked his conversion. He would later be baptized and properly ordained before being sent out as an evangelist.

He performed well enough till he had advanced pretty far in the sermon. Then, stopping short, looked like a man astonished. The audience concluded he had been seized with a sudden disorder; but, on asking what the matter was, received from him a confession of the imposture with tears in his eyes and much trembling. Great was his distress though it ended happily; for from this time dated he his conversion.

The preaching of the Word is not just a means of conversion. It is also a means by which God builds up the church by his grace. Let’s look at 1 Peter 2:1-3 and see the preaching of the Word is a means of grace. 

II.) The preaching of the Word is a means of grace (1 Peter 2:1-3) 

To pursue brotherly love for one another, Peter encourages us to put away malice, deceit, hypocrisy, and slander. That’s the negative command, but a positive command follows it. 

2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Pe 2:2–3)

Believers are to continue to depend on the same grace that saved them to sustain, strengthen, and mature them. In fact, we are too long and desire pure spiritual milk as a newborn infant longs for nourishment from its mother. The word translated as “long” here in the ESV is the same word often translated as “desire” in the Greek translation of the Old Testament. Listen to Psalm 83:3. 

My soul desires and faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh rejoiced exceedingly in the living God. (Ps 83:3)

We are to long for the pure spiritual milk of the Word for a reason: because it is God’s means to mature us in our faith. In other words, it is a means of grace. Look at the language of verse 2 closely, that by it you may grow up into salvation. 

So, as the church gathers on the Lord’s day to hear the Word read and especially the Word preached, Christ by the Spirit is at work in us to build us up by his grace. 

Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16,16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Ti 3:16–17)

The necessity of the Word of God as a means of grace is why Paul told the elders in Ephesus, as we saw last week. 

32 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. (Ac 20:32)

This not only places great emphasis on preaching but also emphasizes the importance of preaching well. Three points and a poem won’t cut it. God’s people need more from pastors than cute stories and entertaining jokes. The church needs biblically saturated sermons—sermons that don’t just preach from the Bible but preach the Bible faithfully to its content and aims—to save sinners and transform them into the image of Christ.

Whether I do this well is for someone else to judge, but my hope is that I preach in a way that provides you with a particular appetite for preaching that is thoroughly biblical and centered on the person and work of Jesus Christ. Whether you’re here or moving elsewhere, I hope you will continue to long for the pure spiritual milk of the Word, which is God’s means of maturing you in the faith. 

Should this not impact your view of the Lord’s Day gathering? And as I said last week, does it not raise the cost of neglecting to gather with God’s people on the Lord’s Day? 

We do not gather to hear reflections by a man we hired to comment on Scripture. We gather to be built up by God through the means of his Word, to hear from God, and to be ministered to by Him. 

For all these reasons, the Second Helvetic Confession states without reservation that,

“The preaching of the Word of God is the Word of God…Wherefore when this Word of God is now preached in the church by preachers lawfully called, we believe that the very word of God is preached, and received by the faithful.” (The Second Helvetic Confession, 1566)

Do you think about the Lord’s day and especially the preaching moment in this way? Beloved, when we gather on the Lord’s day, you should have the expectation—an expectation without hesitation and without reservation— that you will encounter the living God through the living Word of God.

This brings us to our last point. The faithful preaching of the Word is Christ speaking to his people. 

III.) The faithful preaching of the Word is Christ speaking to his people 

A foundational truth undergirds our understanding of the ordinary means of grace: the risen and ascended Christ is not absent, apathetic, or silent. 

Remember, these are means. Christ speaks and addresses his people through his Word, even through finite and humble preachers of the Word today. Is there a scriptural proof for this idea? There are actually a few, but we don’t have that much time, so I want to point you to the most obvious because the others may require a little more explanation. 

Consider with me for a moment Ephesians 2:14-17. Here, Paul talks about how God in Christ has made Jewish believers and Gentile believers into one body, one people. Listen carefully and pay special attention to verse 17. 

14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. (Eph 2:14–17)

Did you catch it? Who is the “he” in verse 17? The antecedent of he is Jesus Christ. Does Paul mean that Jesus descended from heaven to preach to these people? No, of course not. So what does he mean? 

When the gospel is preached truly and faithfully, it is Christ speaking and preaching to his people. Christ saves. Christ builds up the church. To hear the Word faithfully preached its to hear Christ’s divine address. 

Several crucial things have to happen for this to be the case. God has not promised to bless any word I say, and we should never think this implies that every pastor’s or preacher’s words are equal to God’s words. That isn’t the case at all. 

What is the case, though, is that when God-called pastors proclaim the Spirit-inspired Word of the gospel, it is the very Word of God for the people of God.  

Several passages support this understanding of preaching, but none is clearer than 1 Thessalonians 2:13.

13 And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers (1 Th 2:13)

Isn’t that amazing? We do not worship an absent, apathetic, or silent Lord. Gathering and hearing the Word of God is to be addressed by the risen Christ. It is how the church continues to hear his voice. 

Application

  1. Pray persistently for Christ to speak through faithful preaching. 

Understanding the preaching of the Word as a means of grace should implore us to pray often for Christ to speak to us through his Word. I wonder what would happen in your life if you committed to praying each Sunday morning, “Christ speak to us through your word, so that we may be built up by your grace.”

  1. Pray persistently for faithful pastors to commune with Christ in preparing to preach. 

Understanding the preaching of the Word as a means of grace should lead us to pray often for our pastors. We should pray for the pastors of our own local church and then pray often for pastors we partner with. Pray that pastors walk closely with Christ and preach from the overflow of the Spirit’s work in their lives. 

  1. Listen intently & joyfully to the Word of Christ through preaching. 

How do you prepare to hear the Word preached? Do you bring a bible so that you can follow along closely? Do you come well rested so that you won’t drift off? Will you sit up with the intent to listen? Will you be easily edified because you long for the pure spiritual milk of the word?

  1. Believe the Word of God is central to the life and ministry of the church.  

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said that preaching is the primary activity of the church because God never changes, and man’s needs never change. 

“…the moment you consider man’s real need, and also the nature of salvation announced and proclaimed in the Scriptures, you are driven to the conclusion that the primary task of the Church is to preach and proclaim this, to show’s man’s real need, and to show the only remedy, the only cure for it.”

Nathaniel R. Martin

The Ordinary Means of Grace: An Introduction

Sermon Idea: God builds the church up by his grace through ordinary means: the ministry of the Word, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, prayer, and singing. 

Introduction: On September 12th, 1983, the Scottish pastor William Still reflected on thirty years of pastoral ministry before fifty ministers. His reflection was a testimony of God’s work in his church and his experience of that work through conversions, maturing Christians, and lasting fruit. Of course, ministers and most Christians long to experience the work of God in their midst, so a testimony like this is worth listening to. You can imagine ministers listening and perhaps asking themselves a series of questions. 

What secret had Still discovered? What method did he employ to reach such results? Can they be reproduced in our own context? Can we find the secret to unleash the work of God in our midst? What is the plan that must be implemented to see church growth? 

To those who would ask those questions, Still’s testimony would be a bit of a disappointment. That is because it is a testimony of God’s work through ordinary means: the Word of God, prayer, and the ordinances. 

Years later, reflecting on Still’s testimony, one pastor summarized the takeaway from such a testimony. I want you to listen carefully to his quote because it captures what I want you to embrace with joy over the next several weeks. 

“When it comes to the stewardship of the Gospel, there are two basic choices before the Church of Christ. Either the Church will be content to apply itself to God’s ordinary means and trust him for their extraordinary ends; or, the Church will pursue extraordinary means and content itself with ordinary ends.” – Craig Troxel 

I want us to reflect on how God builds up the church by his grace through his ordinary means. In doing so, I want us to cultivate a deeper conviction in God’s promise to work through the means he has given us. 

If this language is new to you, ordinary is not intended to connote boring or uninteresting but to the regular means that God uses to strengthen our faith by his grace. It refers to what has been ordained by Christ for this purpose. You can hear the word connection between ordinary and ordained.

To say something is a “means” is to say it is an instrument or a medium through which something is accomplished. You might think, for example, of the news media, which is meant to be a means for learning about the news and events worldwide. 

What means specifically are we referring to? We are starting here in Acts 2:41-42 because we see the early church observing what was later called the ordinary means of grace. This is a remarkable passage that gives us insight into the worship priorities of the early church fresh off the extraordinary wonders of Pentecost. 

The church gathered regularly, and they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (Ac 2:42)

Devoted communicates persistence and perseverance. The church was committed to observing these things as they worshipped because this is Christian worship. Baptism brings people into the church and once added, there is a shared commitment of fellowship around the gospel. That is what the apostle’s teaching means—a commitment to the gospel and the way the gospel fulfills God’s promises. 

They were devoted to breaking bread, which in this context most certainly means more than a simple shared meal but refers to the Lord’s Supper. Similar language is used later in Acts when Paul describes gathering with the church on the Lord’s Day. 

7 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. (Ac 20:7)

As followers of Jesus, they were committed to prayer. This probably included frequently reciting the Lord’s Prayer and other prayers. 

Major confessions of faith throughout church history have identified the ministry of the Word of God, Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and prayer as the ordinary means of grace. 

The grace of faith…. is the work of the Spirit of Christ in their hearts,and is ordinarily wrought by the ministry of the Word; by which also, and by the administration of baptism and the Lord’s supper, prayer, and other means appointed of God, it is increased and strengthened.- Second London Baptist Confession 14.1 

This morning, I want us to recognize that God builds the church through His grace via ordinary means: the ministry of the Word, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, prayer, and singing. 

We’ll do this by reflecting on three aspects: God saves the church by grace, God builds up the church by grace, and God builds the church by grace through ordinary means. 

In conclusion, I want to offer a few points about why this is important. 

I.) God saves the church by grace 

We often use “grace” but don’t define it because we assume a basic knowledge of it. But what do we mean by grace? Grace is God’s unmerited favor, where he lavishes the blessings of salvation on the believer through faith in Christ. 

To say that it is unmerited is to say that we cannot and do not contribute anything to gain access to God’s grace. It is given to us as a gift. 

As you know, it’s Girl Scout cookie time. That’s not good because I’ll eat them all, and I don’t need to (tip: put the thin mints in the freezer). When you are a member of the Girl Scouts, you can earn merit badges, which are worn on your uniform. Those merit badges signify achievements and accomplishments. The wearing of that badge is based on the merit of the Girl Scouts. You earned the right to wear it.

The grace of God in Christ is not like that. We don’t deserve it and do nothing to earn it, but grace is given to us in Christ. It is offered as a gift by the sovereign grace of God, first for His glory and second for our benefit.

The church is what it is, and Christians are who they are solely because of God’s grace in Christ. Ephesians 2:8-9 captures this truth as well as any other place in Scripture. 

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Eph 2:8–9)

Not only is grace unmerited favor, but it involves the outpouring of the blessing of salvation on the believer through faith in Christ. Paul says this in Ephesians 1:3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

Did you hear the depth of that verse? In Christ, we are blessed with every spiritual blessing. We do not need to search for another source of grace. The work of God in Christ through the Spirit is all we will ever need. 

It is crucial to understand that grace is not only for the beginning of the Christian life but for all of it. In theological terms, God saves us by grace, sanctifies us by grace, and glorifies us by grace. From beginning to end, we are creatures of God’s grace. 

If that is the case, then the church must grow by God’s grace so that God can strengthen, nourish, and edify it in this life and in preparation for the next. 

This brings us to our second point: God saves the church by grace and builds it up by grace. 

II.) God builds the church up by grace 

During Paul’s encouragement to the elders in Ephesus he commends them to God and says that the Word of God’s grace has the power to build them up. 

32 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. (Ac 20:32)

This passage is really insightful because it teaches us that God builds us up and reveals that God uses means to do so. In this case, the means is the “word of his grace.” In this context, this phrase refers to the gospel, but by extension, it also includes the Word of God in Scripture.

As believers hear the gospel afresh through faith in the reading and preaching of the Word, God, by his grace, increasingly nourishes and strengthens our faith. 

God has not saved us and left us to ourselves, but he promises his grace to build us up. 

We can also consider 2 Peter 1:2-4, where we learn that grace can be multiplied in the church’s life so that they come to a deeper understanding of God’s grace in Christ. 

2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 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, 4 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. (2 Pe 1:2–4)

So, to have grace multiplied to you is to have your faith nourished and strengthened in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, who has granted us all things pertaining to life and godliness. 

Here is what is interesting. As we read the Bible, we see God builds up the church through ordinary means. There are regular, ordinary means through which God has promised to build the church up by his grace. 

Sure, there are many things that God can use to bless and edify believers, but there are certain things that God definitely uses, and that matter a great deal. 

In a very helpful book on this topic, pastor J. Ryan Davidson says it this way. 

“It is quite possible for the Lord to use anything in the life of a believer. Many could attest to the fact that God often utilizes things outside of the ordinary means of grace; however, there are certain things that He tells us He will definitely use, and that is the main difference. That is why we labeled them the ordinary means of grace. They are the things that the Scriptures have said are instituted by Christ through which we can expect a blessing, thereby making them a “means of grace.”

So, the ministry of the Word, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and prayer can be called means of grace because they were all instituted by the Lord Jesus and are accompanied by a promised blessing from God.

We do not believe these things operate in their own power. Without faith, Baptismal waters are hardly different from a bath. Without faith, the bread and cup don’t unite us with Christ. However, as we come to them by faith, they are means of grace God uses to bless and strengthen the church by his Spirit. 

When believers participate in these means through faith, God works through them to bless the church. So, what are the promises associated with these means of grace, and why is this important for the life of the church? 

III.) God builds the church up by grace through ordinary means 

  1. Ministry of the Word 

13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. 14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. 15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. 16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Ti 4:13–16)

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Ti 3:16–17)

  1. Baptism 

19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Mt 28:19–20)

  1. Lord’s Supper 

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? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. (1 Co 10:16–17)

  1. Prayer 

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Php 4:6–7)

 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. (1 Jn 5:13–14)

5. Singing 

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Col 3:16)

Application 

  1. The ordinary means of grace give churches a biblical philosophy of ministry. 
  1. The ordinary means of grace cultivate humility and dependence upon God in worship.
  1. The ordinary means of grace raises the cost of neglecting to gather with the church. 
Nathaniel R. Martin

Giving for Gospel Advancement: Philippians 4:14-23

Sermon Idea: God uses our giving to advance the gospel to the praise of his glory. 

Introduction: Throughout our Philippians study, we have explored several important themes. In the initial overview sermon, we said that this letter is about living in a manner worthy of the gospel so that we might be unified and in partnership for gospel advancement. 

The foundational truth on which all these themes are built is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is the reason Paul is serving as a missionary and the reason the Philippian church exists. 

The gospel changed Paul so radically that he went from a persecutor of the church to its most influential missionary. 

The gospel so changed women like Lydia and men like the Philippians jailer they became partners in Paul’s missionary efforts. The church in Philippi not only supported Paul in prayer but also with financial partnership. 

At its most basic, Philippians is about a people who were changed by the gospel and gave of themselves in support of the gospel. 

In verse 15, Paul tells us that the Philippians began to support him after they received the gospel. 

15 And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. (Php 4:15)

This verse at the end of the letter resonates with several verses from the beginning of the letter. 

Paul praises God for their “partnership in the gospel…” (vs. 1:5) 

Paul thanks them for joining him in the “defense and confirmation of the gospel” (vs. 1:7)

Their support of Paul, even in his imprisonment, has served to “advance the gospel…” (vs. 1:12)

The gospel of Jesus Christ changes people, so they cherish its truths and give for its advancement. These verses teach us that God uses our giving to advance the gospel to the praise of his glory.

This morning, I encourage us to reflect on four truths about missions giving. These truths will hopefully renew our commitment to partnering with other churches, agencies, and missionaries to advance the gospel. 

I.) Giving is a partnership in gospel advancement (4:14-16) 

In verses 10-13, Paul informed the church that we had no further financial needs; he was not asking for more money. For example, in verse 11, Paul says, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. (Php 4:11)

Even so, he wants to express his great gratitude for the church’s financial support, so he reflects on their past giving. 

14 Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. 15 And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. 16 Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. (Php 4:14–16)

Let’s focus on the phrase, “share my trouble.” The idea here is similar to the references in chapter one about the Philippians being partners in the gospel. This is reaffirmed in verse 15: when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. 

Giving financial support allowed them to share in Paul’s troubles and participate in his mission even if they could not travel with him. Paul describes their early partnership in 2 Corinthians 8. 

We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints (2 Co 8:1–4)

When we give to faithful missionaries, we share in their trouble and become partners in the gospel. 

As many of you know, Waldo has a rich history of mission partnerships. It’s impossible to tell the story of HeartCry Missionary Society without mentioning Jack Russell and Waldo Baptist Church’s support at some point. That is a history worth celebrating. 

This morning, we are tasked with continually asking how we can be faithful gospel partners now and in the future. We aspire to be a church that shares the burdens of missionaries, partners with church planters and helps make disciples of Jesus Christ. 

I’ve shared this story once before, but it’s worth telling again. Many of you may have heard of William Cary; he is often called the Father of modern missions. He was a missionary to India who played a vital role in starting the first Baptist Missionary Society. 

His friend, Andrew Fuller, did not go overseas as a missionary but stayed home to represent the Baptist Missionary Society and raise funds to support missionaries.  

Carey went to India; Fuller remained at home. Only one went, but both labored for the gospel’s advancement among the nations. 

Before leaving for India, William Cary famously told Fuller, “I will go down into the pit if youhold the ropes.”

In the New Testament, we are called to obey the Great Commission by either going or sending and supporting it. God did not intend for a special few to bear the world’s lostness on their shoulders. Missions partnership and missions giving is one way we can help share the burden. 

By ourselves, it will be hard to give substantial support to missionaries and ministries worth supporting, but together as a church, we can construct our budget so that we hold the rope faithfully for all those we support. 

Giving is a partnership in the gospel and an investment in spiritual fruit. Let’s look at verse seventeen. 

II.) Giving is an investment in spiritual fruit (4:17) 

These verses are rich with financial imagery. In verse 17, Paul implies that giving generates spiritual interest in the church’s account. In other words, there is a spiritual advantage to sacrificially giving to promote the gospel. 

17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit (Php 4:17)

You might remember that fruit is exactly what Paul prays for in chapter one. He prays they would be, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Php 1:9–11)

If we take this language seriously, we must say that sacrificial giving produces spiritual maturity in the giver as it supports the one receiving the gift. Paul makes a similar point in 2 Corinthians. 

6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. (2 Co 9:6–8)

When we give sacrificially for the good of others, particularly to support gospel ministry, we are making a spiritual investment- one that is partly realized now but will only be fully appreciated on Judgment Day. Although we cannot know all that God is doing through our sacrificial giving, we can trust that we are investing in fruit for our account. 

People regularly invest in companies, hoping to benefit financially. It is wise to be a good steward of God’s resources. There is no greater investment than investing in God’s mission to advance the gospel. 

Investment in God’s mission and the gospel does not depreciate. The stock will not plummet to our detriment. To invest in the gospel is to invest in heaven, where treasure, neither moth nor rust, destroys.

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Mt 6:19–21)

Jesus tells us that even in the smallest acts of mercy, God credits rewards to our accounts. 

42 And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” (Mt 10:42)

As a church, we should revisit our budget each year and ask ourselves: What are we investing in? Do we believe in the spiritual benefits promised now and into eternity to those who give to advance the gospel? 

While serving in North Carolina, one of my members was a retired Wycliffe Bible translator. He and his wife moved their family, an infant son with more children to be born, to the jungle of Brazil. They labored to translate the entire Bible for the Guajajara for thirty years. He completed the New Testament in 1985, and ten years later, the people began to ask about the Old Testament. 

A 2008 article from the Pennsylvania Gazette says, “Harrison dove into the translation in 1996 and worked at a breakneck pace. He awoke each morning at 4:30, kept interruptions minimal, and finished a rough draft of the Old Testament—which, at nearly 600,000 words in the original Hebrew, is almost four times as long as the New Testament—in four years. (“Probably a record,” he says.) 

The subsequent edits to prepare the manuscript for publication took another seven years; the Guajajara tribe conducted a lively dedication ceremony across several villages and over the course of three days in early October 2007.” 

As I think about that remarkable man and the achievement he accomplished, I can’t help but also think of how Wycliffe translators are supported. They depend on churches and personal support partners, which means that many people and congregations invested in his work to translate the Bible for a tribe in Brazil who had no access to Scripture in their native tongue. 

Do you think that was a worthwhile investment? You better believe it. The spiritual interest gained by such sacrificial giving can hardly be measured. 

Giving is a partnership in the gospel. It is an investment in spiritual fruit. It is also a sacrificial act of worship. 

III.) Giving is sacrificial worship pleasing to God (4:18)

18 I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. (Php 4:18)

The language that Paul uses here is used throughout Scripture to refer to the sacrifice and worship of God. 

Sacrificial giving is like the fragrance or pleasing aroma of the sacrifices in the Old Testament that were pleasing to God. It’s used in the New Testament to describe Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. 

2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Eph 5:2)

Our offerings to the Lord for the support of our church, other churches, ministries, and missionaries are fragrant offerings acceptable and pleasing to God.

Our giving is not a mere transaction between two parties but an act of worship before God. This means that worship is not paused or delayed when we pray and invite our ushers forward to take up the offering. We give of ourselves as an act of worship. Our giving is a sacrifice to God that is pleasing to him. 

Paul tells us in Romans 12 that our lives are to be living sacrifices, so it is with our giving. 

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship (Ro 12:1)

As an extension of this point, allow me to encourage you. If giving is an act of worship, then our budget is a theological document as much as a practical one. So, if you’re a member here, part of this act of worship is being present at member meetings to review our budget, vote for it, and receive financial reports and updates. We are grateful that you give, but we want to call you to embrace the responsibility God has given to church members. Allow your acts of worship to concern not just your personal tithe but our church’s priorities as a whole. 

Giving is a partnership in the gospel. It is a spiritual investment and act of sacrificial worship. We do all this believing that God will supply and provide for our needs. So, our final point about giving is to trust in God’s rich provision. 

IV.) Giving is to trust in God’s rich provision (4:19-23)

19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen (Php 4:19–20)

We give sacrificially, believing that God will supply every need. This provision is found in Christ Jesus. God has already provided all we need in Christ Jesus for our salvation, so we can trust him to provide our needs.

9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich (2 Co 8:9)

Part of living by faith is believing God’s promises because you cherish God’s character. The God who has provided for our salvation in Christ will not abandon us as we give sacrificially for gospel advancement. 

Nathaniel R. Martin

Contentment Through Christ Alone: Philippians 4:10-13 (Aaron Gillis)

Have you ever met someone who is overly optimistic? Nothing can ever get them down.
They’re the human equivalent of Tiger. These people are often seen as being “Glass half-
full.” On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have those who are pessimistic. The sky is
always falling, doom is always on the horizon. These people are like Eeyore, and are
often viewed as being, “Glass half-empty.” But there is a third way. In our household, we
have what are known as “Brianisms.” These are pearls of wisdom from my father-in-law.
One of my favorite Brianisms is this: “I don’t care if the glass is half-empty or half-full. I
want to know what’s in the glass.” 1 This is the attitude of the Apostle Paul. As he penned
this letter to the church in Philippi, he was not putting on a mask and pretending to be
strong and joyful even though he was dying inside. He acknowledged his sufferings, yet
was able to rejoice in them because of the person and work of Christ.


This is one of the reasons that the local church is so important for believers.
“Bring your baggage in, but leave your mask at the door.”
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” – Galatians 6:2


The gospel call is not, “fake it until you make it.” The gospel message is this:
Come as you are, and by God’s grace, you don’t have to stay where you are! Have
you repented and believed the gospel? Are you a new creation in Christ, or are
you just a well-behaved sinner? The gospel message is NOT behavior
modification – it IS repentance and faith in the Triune God of scripture.

1 Brian Brinkley
2 Ryan Anderson

Sinclair Ferguson has explained contentment in this way: “Contentment is never the
result of the momentary decision of the will. It cannot be produced merely by having a
well-ordered and thought-through time-and life-management plan calculated to guard us
against unexpected twists of divine providence. No, true contentment means embracing
the Lord’s will in every aspect of His providence simply because it is His providence. It
involves what we are in our very being, not just what we do and can accomplish.” 3 In
other words, contentment is not rooted in doing as much as it is in being.


Before moving on, a disclaimer must be made: “There is a place for legitimate
discontentment. All of us should, to some degree, be discontent with our spiritual growth.
If we are not, we will stop growing. There is also what we might call a prophetic
discontentment with injustice and other evils in society that is coupled with a desire to
see positive change.” What we must avoid at all costs is a sinful, whining disposition that
always complains about circumstances.


True contentment is a result of communion with Christ. Contentment is utterly
impossible apart from Him. Have you fully submitted your life to Christ, or just added
Him to your life? Jesus Christ is not an accessory – something to be kept around, “just in
case” you need something.

Are you content with the person, work & presence of Christ? Or are you just
content with the blessings you receive from Him?

The quickest path to misery is to pursue passions, pleasures & purpose apart from God.
The quickest path to joy is to find your passions, pleasures & purpose in Christ alone.
God is not the cherry on top of your already blessed life. He is the one from whom all
blessings flow!


“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory
forever. Amen.” 5 – Romans 11:36. That’s why we sing the doxology; it’s a
reminder that everything good in this life comes from the one true living God.


“Praise God from whom all blessings flow / Praise Him all creatures here below /
Praise Him above ye heavenly host / Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost / Amen

Philippians 4:10 – We can have joy in gospel partnership
In James Montgomery Boice’s commentary, he observes that throughout history, churches have been remembered for different things. The book of Romans reveals a church with remarkable faith, the church at Ephesus was remembered for its hard work, the church at Corinth was remembered for being somewhat carnal/immoral at times, the church at Laodicea is remembered for its apostasy, and Thessalonica for its doctrinal divisions concerning the second coming of Christ. Here, we see the church at Philippi being remembered as a church who shows compassion, stewardship and selflessness. 6 When the day of judgement comes, what will Christ say of His bride at Waldo? How will we as a church be remembered? 100 years from now, will this church on a hill in the middle of a cornfield in Massac County cease to exist, or will we continue to be a light shining in a dark world? Will we be the church who is focused on the things of this world? Will we be the church who chooses division over things that don’t matter? Or will we be the church who is remembered for our joy, charity & worship of God? There is joy in gospel partnership. We can be a part of fulfilling the great commission by praying, proclaiming & sacrificial giving. We are not here to build the kingdom of Waldo. We exist to further the kingdom of God. This can only be done if we are a church who prays, sends & gives our very best for the glory of God and the good of His people.


Philippians 1:3-5. Paul’s relationship with the church at Philippi begins in Acts 16. In
God’s providence, the Apostle is prevented by the Holy Spirit from entering various
cities in this missionary journey. Paul receives a vision at night of a man in Macedonia,
saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” One Sabbath day, Paul encounters a
woman named Lydia, who along with her household, is converted and baptized. As this
encounter ends, Paul casts out a demon from a slave girl. This lands Paul & Silas in
prison. As Paul & Silas are in jail, at midnight they began to pray and sing hymns. An
earthquake occurs, the prison doors are opened, and the jailer assumes that his prisoners
have escaped & decides to take his own life. At the last minute, Paul cries out to the jailer
that no one has left the prison. Then we have the conversion of the jailer. The city
officials ask Paul & Silas to leave the city, so they visit Lydia & the brothers, they are
encouraged by the believers & then carry on their missionary journey.


As Paul concludes this letter, he thanks the church in Philippi that although no other
church entered into partnership with him in giving and receiving, they did. His focus was
not the material possessions that he would receive from this local church – he was
encouraged by the fact that their sacrificial giving would serve to advance the gospel.


“If you want to live big on a small paycheck – give.” 7
When you give sacrificially for the edification of the church, you may have no idea of the
impact it could have on this side of eternity.
Philippians 4:11 – Contentment must be learned
Learning contentment is not easy, but it is possible, necessary & commanded by God. Paul is
writing this letter from a prison cell – how can he have joy under these circumstances but by
God’s grace alone?


Contentment is learned. It takes both awareness and effort. On one hand, Paul is the most
famous Christian in church history. At the same time, the best of men are men at best. We
should not idolize Paul, or any other Christian. However, we must recognize that the man
who wrote 2/3 of the New Testament, who planted churches, endured hardships & was
one of the most zealous followers of Christ – had to LEARN contentment. This should
encourage us.
8 “Since this is a secret to be learned, two things are implied: Not every Christian
has learned it & it is possible to learn. Many Christians, it seems, go throug their entire lives struggling, fuming, fretting, murmuring, fussing, arguing, and complaining against God and against their life circumstances.” (Davis, 2019)
Contentment is a choice. You don’t always get to choose your circumstances. You
always get to choose how you respond to them.

“In first-century Stoicism, “contentment” was an admired virtue, the trait of true wisdom.
But Stoic “contentment” was self-sufficiency, grounded in aloof indifference. Paul’s
contentment was reliant not on himself and his ability to suppress emotions, but on
Christ, who held Paul fast and sustained him in all circumstances.”


We are seeing a resurgence of this mindset in our culture today. Self-help authors
and alpha-guru personality types (e.g. David Goggins & Andrew Tate) are
influencing our culture by preaching the false gospel of self-sufficiency and
picking yourself up by your own bootstraps. To be content in the truest sense is
only possible by relying on the sufficiency of Christ. Anything apart from that is
antithetical to the gospel message. The solution to man’s problems is not the
prosperity gospel, the poverty gospel, stoicism or any earthly philosophy. The
only answer is Christ crucified on your behalf, dead, buried, raised, ascended to
the Father and is coming back to judge the quick and the dead.

Other scriptures
“But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by
contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take
anything out of it either. And if we have food and covering, with these we shall
be content.” 10 – 1 Timothy 6:6-8


“Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows
with blessing will also reap with blessing. Each one must do just as he has
purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a
cheerful giver. And God is able to make every grace about to you, so that in
everything at every time having every sufficiency, you may have an
abundance for every good deed.” 11 – 2 Corinthians 9:6-8


God does not provide good things for us so that we can build our own
kingdom. He gives us aptitude, opportunities & resources so that we may
play a part in building His kingdom. Note in this verse why He gives grace
& sufficiency; SO THAT we may have an abundance for every good deed.
Christ is building His church and He is using ordinary people through
ordinary means to do so. Do you want contentment? Lay hold of the
promises of God. Cling to them like your life depends upon it, because it
does!

“Make sure that your way of life is free from the love of money, being content
with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I
ever forsake you,” so that we confidently say, “The LORD is my helper, I will not
be afraid. What will man do to me?”

John D. Rockefeller was the first billionaire in the U.S. was once asked, “How much money is enough?” He replied, “Just a little bit more.” Money can be a great tool, but is always a terrible master.

Philippians 4:12 – Contentment outside of Christ will not last
As we go through our life, some lessons can be taught, while others must be caught.
Contentment is not a simple math equation that can be easily understood by using a
textbook, it must be learned through experience. Contentment is rooted in being, not just
doing. If all we have is action without meaning, we will be of little use in God’s
kingdom. Our actions must be rooted in knowing and being known by the One True and
Living God.


“To be content as a result of some external thing is like warming a man’s clothes by the
fire. But to be content through an inward disposition of the soul is like the warmth that a
man’s clothes have from the natural heat of the body. A man who is healthy in body puts
on his clothes, and perhaps at first on a cold morning they feel cold. But after he has had
them on a little while they are warm. Now, how did they get warm? They were not near
the fire? No, this came from the natural heat of his body. Now when a sickly man, the
natural heat of whose body has deteriorated, puts on his clothes, they do not get hot after
a long time. He must warm them by the fire, and even then they will soon be cold
again.”


External circumstances are beyond our control, but the way we respond is within our
control. Our response to external circumstances is based upon our inward disposition of
our heart. We fail to recognize this truth when we use phrases such as, “That makes me
so angry”, “This person causes me to be anxious”, or “I would be happy if I only had
_.” The root of sinful anger, anxiety & discontentment is the flesh. In order to kill sin,
we must call it for what it truly is & look to Christ alone to set us free.


“As far-fetched as this may sound to us, Jesus actually likens the value of salvation to a
secret treasure hidden in a field (Matt. 13:44). Christian contentment is part of that
spiritual treasure. It has such transformative power that it is far more valuable than any
physical treasure that has ever been buried beneath the surface of the earth. And the
apostle Paul claims to know where the treasure of contentment is buried.” (Davis, 2019)


o What the Christian life is NOT: Justification > spend your time on earth
complaining about your circumstances > heaven.
o What the Christian life IS: Justification > Sanctification > Glorification


Contentment is NOT the same as a lack of ambition. Contentment and ambition exist
harmoniously in the Christian life when our affections are ordered properly. If your satisfaction and joy rise and fall with your power, prestige or possessions, rest
assured that power, prestige and possessions are not the problem – it’s a heart issue.
Christians need to face the reality that sometimes we wrestle with spiritual powers and principalities, sometimes we wrestle with the world, but more often than not, our greatest
problem is ourselves, the flesh.

As we pursue contentment in Christ, we must stay on guard against anything contrary to
that end. One of the more prevailing sins in our culture that robs us of contentment is
anxiety. It’s no coincidence that just a few verses prior to our text, Paul warns against
anxiety in the life of a believer. Jerry Bridges wisely stated the following: “The opposite
of trust in God is either anxiety or frustration, and Jesus had a lot to say about anxiety.
The most prominent passage in which Jesus speaks about it is Matthew 6:25-34, in which
He uses the word anxious six times. We are not to be anxious about what we are to eat,
drink, or wear, or even about the unknown circumstances of tomorrow… Paul picks up
this admonition about anxiety with his words in Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious
about anything.” And Peter adds his exhortation, “Cast all your anxieties on him, because
He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7).


Matthew 6:25-34 – This world is not our home. The words of Jesus and Paul make sense
only because they have eternity in view. When I am anxious, I am believing the lie that my Father in heaven does not care for me. When I am anxious, I am refusing to believe God’s promises that He will work all things out for my good and His glory.


In our culture, anxiety is often used as a crutch, or sometimes even displayed as a
badge of honor. People will wrap their identity in their anxiety with phrases such
as, “I’m an anxious person.” This language has become normalized in our culture.
Would we use the same language for other sins, such as envy, greed, lust, or
arrogance? As a church, we cannot afford to soften the language the Bible uses
for sin because we are worried about offending someone. We’re so worried about
not offending anyone, the only person we don’t mind to offend is God. Anxiety,
like any other sin, must be put to death in the life of a Christian. The more we see
sin for what it really is, the more we can appreciate the beauty and glory of who
Christ is and what He has done. In the 23 rd Psalm, we read these words: “Even
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You
are with me, Your rod and staff, they comfort me.” The psalmist does not whine
about his circumstances. He rejoices in the fact that His shepherd loves and cares
for Him and is willing to lead him through the deepest and darkest valley. This is
the attitude of Paul. If you struggle with anxiety, you are not alone, and there are
men and women in this church who will walk alongside you.


Keeping discontentment, anxiety, impure thoughts or any other sin around in your
life would like having a rattlesnake as a pet. Eventually you it will bite you. When
it does, the venom will coarse through your veins and it will destroy you. What’s the solution? Christ has crushed the head of the serpent – look unto Him!

Philippians 4:13 – Christ ALONE is the source of our contentment

This is one of the 3 most misquoted scriptures in our day.
Matthew 7:1 – Quoted when someone is trying to justify their sin and want to do
so guilt free.
Jeremiah 29:11 – Quoted when someone wants covenant promises of prosperity
without the difficulties of living in exile/Babylon.
Philippians 4:13 – Quoted in an effort to win God’s favor in a sporting event,
business venture, or pursuit of the flesh. By the world’s standards, if anyone had something to complain about, it would have been Paul. When Paul says he can do “all things”, what does he have in mind?


2 Corinthians 11:23-28 – “Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to
talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more
frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and
again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times
I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was
shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on
the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger
from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in
the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored
and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and
have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything
else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.”

If the Apostle’s goal was to be a motivational speaker, he did a terrible job! What is Paul
saying here? “I can endure hunger, beatings, desert heat, arctic cold, persecutions,
poverty, wealth or anything in between. Why? Because my view of God is not based
upon my circumstances. My view of circumstances is based upon who God is.”


Consider the context of the church plant in Philippi. Acts 16 shows a group of people
with differing backgrounds & social status, but their fundamental need is the same –
Christ alone. You can be poor, yet be content. You can be rich, yet lack contentment. To
be content is not based upon outward circumstances. It’s an internal disposition that is
possible only through the power of the Holy Spirit. Contentment is not natural – it is
supernatural.


“A carnal heart reads the promises (of God), and reads them merely as stories, not that he
has any great interest in them. But every time a godly man reads the Scriptures
(remember this when you are reading Scripture) and there meets with a promise, he ought
to lay his hand upon it and say, This is part of my inheritance, it is mine, and I am to live
upon it.” 16


Application – Consider the provision of God to His people down through the ages and in your
own life. In Exodus 16, we see God providing manna from heaven. The Israelites were
commanded to gather enough for that day only. If they kept any of it until morning, it would be filled with maggots and unfit to eat. Why? Because Yahweh wanted to teach His people to
depend on Him. How long will you try and make your own way? How long will you try and live
on yesterday’s manna? Consider Jesus, who taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily
bread.”


If the Israelites tried to live on yesterday’s bread, they would get sick.
If they tried to live on tomorrow’s bread, they would starve.
If they learned to trust in the provision of the One True God, they would be satisfied.
That same offer stands today for you: Trust in your heavenly Father to meet all of your
needs. Learn to be content in the person and work of Christ the son. Rely on the presence
of the Holy Spirit when fears and doubt come your way. Faithfully gather with the saints
every week so that you may be a part of what God is doing, building His kingdom
through His people.


Closing
“What is Heaven, but the rest and quiet of a man’s spirit, that is the special thing that
makes the life of Heaven, there is rest and joy, and satisfaction in God. So it is in a
contented spirit: there is rest and joy and satisfaction in God. In Heaven there is singing
praises to God; a contented heart is always praising and blessing God. You have Heaven
while you are on earth when you have a contented spirit.”