Our text is in Acts chapter 2, we read earlier from verse 37 to verse 47, but our text is really in verse 41 and 42. Now Acts chapter 2 is very familiar to many of us, at least most of us would know that this chapter contains the account of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured down upon the Church, and we would know also as I mentioned earlier, that it contains the inaugural sermon of the Apostle Peter. Note also how this sermon was used of the Holy Spirit to prick the heart of the multitude who heard, so that many cried out, men and brethren, what shall we do? Peter answered with those classic words, repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you and to your children and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. As a result of this gospel call, a multitude of people believe 3,000 souls were baptised. Many sermons have been preached on these words, so tonight we will not be focusing on them. We want to focus rather on something somewhat mundane. We want to focus on what the Church did apart from repenting of their sins and believing in Christ. Now, Shorter Catechism, Question 85, which we studied a few months ago, we asked the question, what does God require of us that we may escape His wrath and curse due to us for sin? And the answer, to escape the wrath and curse of God due to us for sin, God required of us faith in Jesus Christ and repentance unto life with the diligent use of all the outward means whereby Christ communicated to us the benefits of redemption. What are these outward means? This is the subject of our study tonight. and is based on question 88 of our Shorter Catechism. What are the outward means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption? What is the answer? The outward and ordinary means by which Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption are His ordinances, especially the Word, sacraments and prayer, all which are made effectual unto the elect for salvation. The means of grace or the outward means, in other words, are the ordinary means or instruments by which Christ brings to us the benefits He has purchased for us by His living and dying for us. The means of grace, to put it in another way, are the channels or the conduit through which The grace or the benefits purchased by Christ in His living and dying for us are channeled to us. So Christ's purchase, you can think of this, is already reserved in heaven for us. All the benefits that He purchased for us were purchased particularly in every of your names. If you believe in the Lord Jesus, you're one of His elect, your name is on every of the benefits. But this is channeled to you through the means of grace. What are these means? Well, catechism suggests that all of God's ordinances are included, but only three are listed in our catechism. The word, sacraments, and prayers. Well, providentially, all these three are mentioned in our text. In verse 41, then they that gladly received his word were baptized, and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayer. Now as we proceed in our study of the Shorter Catechism, we'll be looking at these ordinances in greater details. But tonight, we want to use our texts as a starting point to consider three questions. First, which are the means of grace? Secondly, why are they necessary? Thirdly, with what attitude must we use them? First then, which are the means? Now if you look at our text, you see several activities engaged by the church. The people heard the word preached, verse 41. They participated in the sacrament of baptism, the same verse, and the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, verse 42. And they prayed, verse 42. And then they enjoyed one another's fellowship. Now it's clear that the word is a means of grace. The Apostle Paul says, all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that a man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. So clearly, the Word is a means of grace. The Apostle Peter says, as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby. The Word is necessary for us to grow in grace. If faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, as Paul tells us in Romans chapter 10, then certainly to grow in grace, we need not only to read God's Word, but to hear God's Word read and preached. This is why the early Church not only received the Word preached by Peter, but continued steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine. What that means is in the apostles, teaching and preaching. So the word is a necessary means. What about baptism? Is it a means of grace or is it merely a symbolic ritual? Well, there is no biblical support for baptismal regeneration, which is the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church and some parts of Protestant churches, which believe that one who is baptized is born again in the act of it, at the point of baptism. Scripture teaches us that Simon Bagus was baptized, but he was not born again, he was not regenerated. The thief on the cross was regenerated, although he was not baptized. So to elect infants dying in infancy are regenerated without baptism. So we do not believe in baptismal regeneration. However, we do believe that baptism does ordinarily act as a means of grace. Baptism is a means of grace. Why? because the scripture clearly ties baptism of the Holy Spirit with baptism of water. Paul says, Titus 3.5, we'll look at some of this verse in more details in a future message, but we'll consider some of this tonight. Titus 3.5, we see, The Apostle Paul says, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost. Now here we see regeneration being identified with washing. So what is washing? What is washing? Washing, and the early church read it, they understand that it has to do with baptism. Because baptism, it's not, by the way, the word baptism, sometimes it's associated with a dipping or immersion, or the word baptizo is actually not immerse. The word bapto is immerse, but baptism, or baptizo, is the word for washing. So automatically, the people will think about baptism because it's such central in the Christian faith. So regeneration is tied to that baptism. Regeneration being baptism of the Holy Spirit. Likewise, Paul says, for ye are all children, in Galatians 3, verse 26, he says, for ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus, for as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. I maybe argue whether the Apostle Paul is talking about water baptism or spirit baptism, but the fact is that sometimes you can't even tell the difference. You can't tell what exactly is the Apostle Paul saying for a simple reason that spirit baptism is closely tied to water baptism. And this is probably the reason why the Apostle Peter at Pentecost calls upon the people not only to repent, but to be baptized. Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Something mysterious about the connection between water baptism and spirit baptism. We'll talk about it in more detail in the future. But we can think of these two baptisms as being like two keys. The spirit baptism opens the door of the kingdom of God. water baptism removes the latch of the door. So you could put it this way. If a man is already baptized by the Holy Spirit, water baptism opens the door as well further. But if a man is baptized by water, but not baptized by Holy Spirit, it's as it were, the latch is removed, but the door remains shut. Only when there is spirit baptism can a man be regarded as born again. What about the sacrament of Lord's Supper? We read in our text that the disciples continued steadfastly in breaking of bread. Is this a means of grace? But those who hold that the Lord's Supper is purely memorial do not think that it is a real means of grace. But the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10, the cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? A communion. Well, that's the word which means fellowship or participation. When we partake of the Lord's Supper, we partake of the benefits purchased by Christ in His death. So clearly the Lord's Supper is a means by which Christ feeds us spiritually in a way that is different from the feeding of the world. What about prayer? We read in our text that the disciples continued steadfastly in prayer. We noted that our catechism leaves word, sacraments, and prayer as means of grace. I should add that many continental Reformed theologians, such as Louis Burkhoff, do not hold that prayer is a means of grace. In fact, some hold that the only means of grace is the word. By his prayer and means of grace, I'll turn with me to Hebrews chapter 4. Hebrews chapter 4. And look at this familiar verse, verse 15. Read there, for we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Notice how we are to find grace to help in time of need. We are to find grace in prayer. So clearly, prayer is a means of grace. The Lord would give us the Holy Spirit and would work in us by His Spirit, but He would have us pray for the Spirit. What about fellowship? We read in our text in verse 42, they continue steadfastly, the apostles doctrine and fellowship. Well, we do not read of fellowship being a means of grace in our catechism. Why? Because fellowship itself is a human activity not explicitly ordained by Christ for his church. Fellowship itself does not convey grace. It is simply a vehicle by which we may make use of the means of grace with other brethren. So if we gather together to sing God's Word, to hear God's Word preached, to participate in the sacraments, to pray, we receive grace by these means. But if we gather together for fellowship in games, for chit-chat, for coffee, then no grace is conveyed. Badminton conveys no grace. Skating conveys no grace. Coffee, well, it conveys no grace. It keeps you awake. That's about it. Of course, if when you gather together, you pray together or talk about God's word or encourage one another with the word of God, which in the Apostle Paul's analogy of the armor of God is wielding the sword, the rhema, the spoken word. then grace is conveyed through those means. But fellowship itself and the fun activities engaged in fellowship do not convey grace by itself. They may help build bonds, but they are not instrumental for conveying the benefits purchased by Christ, at least not directly. So then, the principle, ordinary, and outward means of grace are word, especially when it's preached, sacraments, and prayer. There are other means too, since there are other ordinances, such as those listed in our larger catechism in question 108, namely church government, the exercises of church government and discipline, the ministry and maintenance thereof, religious fasting, swearing by the name of God and vowing unto Him. But the most important means are word, sacrament, and prayer. Let us understand it. Another question is, why are the means necessary? Well, the Roman Catholic Church teaches the salvation is found in the church, and that grace must be conveyed through the actions of lawfully ordained priests. So we can understand why the means of grace or the sacraments are important to Rome. So Rome has seven sacraments. But Rome is legalistic. Its theology is based on human traditions and reasoning. As Protestants, we know that our salvation is by grace through faith alone in Christ alone. For this reason, many Protestants today think that a means of grace are not really necessary. and many take them for granted. We are all creatures of extreme, you see. We swing from one end to the other end. But our text shows us how important they are. In fact, do you realize that faith is not even mentioned in this chapter until verse 44? And that indirectly referring to all that believe. In this chapter, we have no record of Peter calling the people to believe, though he calls them to repent. Faith is implied in how the people gladly receive the Word, and it is assumed throughout this passage. On the other hand, the means of grace are highlighted. It appears that Luke is suggesting that faith is manifested in the use of the means of grace by those who believe. You see, God does not only require us to believe in Christ and to repent of our sin for our salvation. He requires us to work out our salvation by making use of the means of grace. It's clear that God uses means. He does not need to, because He's a sovereign God. He can do all things. But He uses means. How do we know that? Well, the evidence is so overwhelming that we don't need proof. God is transcendent. The heaven of heavens of heavens cannot contain him. And yet he commanded Moses to build a tabernacle. And then he sanctioned the building of the temple. While he forbid his people from making images to represent him, he ordained that his people should worship him with offerings and sacrifices, with washing and waving, with vestments and with rituals, with feast days and holy days. These are all means of grace in the Old Testament. God used means. Now in the New Testament, we must worship God in spirit and in truth. Our worship will be more spiritual than carnal compared to the worship of the Old Testament saints. But we are still creatures of dust. We have a body and soul. And so Christ has ordained that we should receive his blessing with means that involve not only our souls, but our body. Christ can, of course, convey the benefits of redemption to us without our having to do anything at all. And in fact, the new birth is given to us monogistically. It's a big word, monologistically, but what it means is solely and entirely by the power and energy of God without our participation at all So a child can be born again in a mummy's tummy without the word because God can do it powerfully I believe John the Baptist was regenerated in a mother's womb without even before he heard the Word of God. Even our sanctification, you realize, is wholly the work of God's Spirit. Philippians 2.13, for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. But Christ has ordained that we should work out our salvation with fear and trembling. And he has appointed that we should make use of things or means that involve our intellect and will. He would have us receive the benefits that he would convey to us. by use of means that involve the exercise of our will and intellect. He does not want us to be inert, empty barrels that are insensitive to what is done to us. He wants us to be living souls that receive the benefits he has purchased for us and to receive them with gratitude, as He conveys them to us by His Spirit. This is why the means are necessary. This is why the Spirit records for us the activities of the saints after they were converted. Their participation at the means of grace gave evidence and demonstrated that they received the benefits that Christ purchased for them. When they heard the word, they heard Christ speaking to them, as sheep and lambs hear their shepherd. When they receive the word preached, they receive Christ. Through their baptism, they have their union with Christ signified and sealed. That's why they are said to be added unto the number. Through their baptism, they enjoy freely the power of the resurrection in Christ. The benefits of this union with Christ is conveyed to them in this way. When they partake of the Lord's Supper, they receive strength in an inner man through the broken body and shed blood of Christ. Not only do they remember Christ's death for them, but in a mystical way, Christ conveys to them something of what he has purchased for them to strengthen them for their Christian walk and testimony. When they pray, they avail themselves to the mediatorship of Christ and of the way to the throne of God that he has opened Or to put it in another way, when they pray, they open the hands of their souls to receive what the Lord has already purchased for them and what the Lord is ready to bestow upon them. Prayer opens the hand of the soul. The means of grace are necessary. Finally, with what attitude must we use them? Five things may be said about the way that the believers at Pentecost make use of the means of grace. Firstly, they use them faithfully. This is implied in their receiving the Word preached, verse 41. What is true in regard to the Word must also be true in regard to the sacraments, for they are also appointed in the Word. And it must be true in regard to prayer. The Lord Jesus says, and all things whatsoever ye ask, ye shall ask in prayer, believing ye shall receive. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Without faith, all the means of grace are but empty rituals. Without faith, all exercise involving the means of grace are hypocritical. With faith, they look to Christ. With faith, the means become truly means to enjoy and glorify Christ. Secondly, the saints use the means gladly. They gladly receive His Word. They were gladly baptized. There was gladness in their heart as they continued in their Christian experience. There was no drudgery. There was no apathy. There was evidence of gratitude and love toward the Lord. Thirdly, they used the means ecclesiastically. It was the Apostles' doctrine that they attended to. It was with the Church that they engaged in all the means. They did not simply take the means privately. Breaking of bread from house to house, later mentioned, I believe there refers to fellowship meals, not to the Lord's Supper. There was a distinct connection with the Church in their use of the means of grace. The means of grace are not meant to be used privately. Even prayer is not intended only for private use. How do we know that? Because when the Lord Jesus teaches us to pray, He says, Our Father which art in heaven. The plural suggests this to be used in the context of other saints. So thirdly, they used them ecclesiastically. But fourthly, they used the means persistently. We read in verse 42 that they continued in the apostles' doctrine. Of course, then they continued in the breaking of bread and in prayer. They did not only do so for a while and then gave up. They persisted. They did not get bored of them. They did not cease to use them when the novelty wore out. Fifthly, they were steadfast and diligent in the use of the means. Now the Greek word for continue, steadfastly, is only one word in the Greek, but it's a compound word. They were not just persistent, they were wholehearted and careful in the use of the means. They were not half-hearted, going through the motion. Our beloved brethren and children, how have you been using the means of grace? Have you been faithful, cheerful, persistent and wholehearted? Have you sought to use them with the Church? The means of grace are essential for our spiritual growth. They are not optional. They must be used if we are to receive and enjoy the benefits that Christ purchased for us. but they are not to be used in a mechanical and faithless manner. To do so would be to have a form of godliness but denying the power thereof. We must rather use them with eyes of faith to look unto Christ. We must use them with the Church And so, we must not forsake the assembling of the saints as a manner of Samis. You know, it's quite strange that some are very quick to want to assemble with the saints when there's activities. But when it comes to use of means and fellowship at the means, well, these are not so important. We must learn to use the means of grace. especially the public use of means of grace. We must use them gratefully, cheerfully with hearts of thanksgiving, and we must persist in using them even when we feel our hearts to be straying from the Lord. We must seek to use them wholeheartedly, not grudgingly, not superficially, not faithlessly, not mechanically. We must not assume they were saved simply because we are using the means of grace. But we must not neglect the means of grace if we are truly safe. The means of grace is like milk for a baby. If the baby is alive, it will grow with the milk. But if the baby is not alive, no amount of milk is going to make the baby grow. This is why our Catechism says that the means of grace are made effectual to the elect for salvation. The elect, especially born-again elect, will grow in grace. They will be working out their salvation with the use of the means of grace, and they will grow in salvation. Remember that we are not only safe, but are being safe and shall be safe. The means of grace provide us with the being safe part. As we conclude, let's bear three things in mind. First of all, all three means are very important. It is important to hear the word and to hear it diligently. If you are in a university and you're very good in the subject, you may skip a lecture and you may not lose much. But in the Lord's university of life, you cannot skip worship and the hearing of God's word without consequence. Every case of backsliding begins either with skipping worship or drowsy attendance at worship. The sacraments are also important. If you are not baptized, you must seek baptism as soon as possible. If you are not partaking of the Lord's Supper, you must seek to be admitted to the Lord's Table as soon as possible. If you believe Christ and you are not baptized, you are like a man who has a job but has not yet been confirmed in the job and so has not been able to enjoy some of the benefits that full-time employees enjoy. If you are baptized and you are not partaking of the Lord's Supper, you are like a child that has not started taking solid food. Prayer is also important. If you pray not or pray infrequently or erratically, you're like a child who does not know how to breathe properly. Or you're like a child who refuses to drink water. It's no wonder if you do not fall very ill spiritually. So firstly, remember that all three means are very important. Seek to make use of them. But secondly, remember to look to Christ of the means, even as you use the means of Christ. Remember the purpose of the means of grace. They are means to convey the benefits which Christ purchased for us. They are not religious rituals. We must not think that a mere attendance or the means of grace pleases God or that God will reward us for attendance at a means. In fact, superficial attendance at a means of grace or attendance at a means without faith, without an eye upon Christ, is hypocritical and legalistic. It is merely to have a form of godliness which Paul condemns. So remember that your mind must be spiritually engaged. when you attend the means. So you want to be prepared when you come for the means. So you do not want to work until Saturday midnight and then you say, I'll observe the Sabbath. 12 a.m. I'll go and sleep and next morning wake up at 6 a.m. and you come for worship and you are nodding in agreement throughout the sermon. It doesn't work that way. The means of grace must be attended to faithfully. So when you Come for worship, attend to the sermon, think of Christ, what He's saying to you. Don't get distracted by the preacher, by what colour of tie he wears, or by his pronunciation. Sometimes, you know, at the end of a sermon, the preacher hears some comments and it's nothing to do with the sermon. It has to do with the word pronounced wrongly. Think rather of what Christ is speaking to you, saying to you, not what the preacher wants you to hear, but what Christ wants you to hear. And when you're baptized or when you see someone being baptized, think of how Christ has taken ownership of you. When you partake of the Lord's Supper, think of how Christ suffered and died for you and has given himself for you. When you pray, remember that you are doing so only because Christ has opened the gates of heaven for you that your prayers may ascend into heaven, that you're praying in his authority. That's why you say in Jesus' name. That phrase in Jesus' name is not a magical incantation. You have to remember that you pray because of what Christ has done for you. So remember to look to the Christ of the means. Finally, remember that while the means of grace are very important, it is even more important for you to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and to repent of your sin. Remember that unless you truly believe and repent of your sin, all the means of grace do for you is to give you a sense of false security and allow you into thinking that you're going to heaven when in fact you may be on the route to eternal damnation. So children, do not trade faith and repentance with the use of the means of grace. Use them. But make sure you truly believe and repent of your sin. So brethren, do not assume that because you're using the means of grace that you are truly born again. See to it that you believe in the Lord. See to it that you daily repent of your sin. See to it that you're making your election and calling sure in Christ. What are the outward means whereby Christ communicated to us the benefits of redemption? The outward and ordinary means. whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption are His ordinances, especially the word, sacraments, and prayer, all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation. May the Lord grant us that we will use them faithfully. Amen. Let us pray.