Matthew 28:19-20; The Means of Grace and our Piety

Order of Service

• Call to Worship — Psalm 146:1-2, 10
• Hymn — Praise the Lord, My Soul (#146)
• Prayer of Invocation
• Confession of Sin (Book of Common Prayer)
• Assurance of Pardon — Hebrews 8:10-12
• Hymn — Song of Mary (Magnificat) (#301)
• Pastoral Prayer
• Scripture Reading — Matthew 28:16-20
• Prayer for Illumination
• Sermon
• Hymn — Speak, O Lord (#172)
• Benediction — Numbers 6:24-26

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Sermon Title: Ordered, Outward, and Ordinary — The Means of Grace and Our Piety

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20

I. The Means of God's Sanctifying Grace Are Ordered Means

A. Jesus speaks with full authority, fulfilling the vision of Daniel 7:13-14

1. The Son of Man is presented before the Ancient of Days and given all dominion and glory
2. Christ's authority is his by right as Son of God and by victory over death

B. By his royal authority, Christ commands the use of specific means: Word and Sacraments

1. He orders baptism (Matthew 28:19) and the Lord's Supper ("do this in my name")
2. He orders teaching — the proclamation of the Word
3. God could accomplish his purposes any way he chose, yet he chooses to work through means (cf. creation: "God said…")

II. The Means of God's Sanctifying Grace Are Outward Means

A. The means come to us from outside ourselves — suited to creatures of body and soul

1. Audible words spoken and heard; visible words printed and read; water, bread, and wine
2. Calvin: God "lisps" with us in the Word, condescending to our creaturely need

B. Word and Sacraments are one thing in two outward forms (Kevin DeYoung)

1. The Word is adapted to the ear; the Sacraments are adapted to the eye
2. The Word is first and primary — 2 Timothy 4:2 ("Preach the word"); the Westminster Larger Catechism: the Spirit makes the reading, but especially the preaching of the Word effectual
3. The Sacraments serve the Word and cannot be separated from it
4. Philip baptizes the Ethiopian eunuch only after explaining the good news from Isaiah 53
5. In Acts 2:42, the early church devoted itself first to the apostles' teaching, then to the breaking of bread

C. The outward means must be accompanied by the inward working of the Spirit and received by faith

1. The same sun that melts butter also hardens clay — the Word never returns void, but does not always confer saving grace
2. Application: Do not rest in mere external participation with the means; the Christ preached in the Word and shown in the Sacraments must be believed by faith

III. The Means of God's Sanctifying Grace Are Ordinary Means

A. Ordinary in the sense of being unspectacular

1. No laser shows or elaborate productions — just words and everyday elements
2. As Christ himself was born humbly in a manger, so his means are lowly and simple
3. Yet in both the stable and the means of grace, the spectacular one — Christ himself — is present

B. Ordinary in the sense of being the usual, regular, and perpetual means

1. God demonstrates grace in creation (sparrows, morning, new birth), but he orders special redemptive means only in Word and Sacrament
2. We have no right to go beyond these means, nor to disregard them (e.g., "I meet God in nature" is devastatingly wrong)
3. "I'm an ordinary means of grace guy" — the proper posture of a minister

C. The ordinary means accomplish God's saving (beginning) grace

1. Romans 10:17: "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God"
2. God ordinarily calls dead sinners to life through the Word

D. The ordinary means accomplish God's sanctifying (finishing) grace

1. Philippians 1:6: "He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion"
2. John 17:17: "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth"
3. 2 Timothy 3:16: Scripture is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness
4. Psalm 119:11: "I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you"
5. The Lord's Supper calls believers to self-examination (1 Corinthians 11), to see the cost of sin and the fullness of Christ's payment
6. Baptism as ongoing sanctifying means: Romans 6 — baptism is a sign of union with Christ in death and resurrection
7. Westminster Larger Catechism: the "much neglected duty of improving our baptism" is to be performed all our life long, drawing strength from Christ's death and resurrection for mortifying sin and quickening grace
8. Luther: when facing temptation, he would say to himself, "I am a baptized man"

E. Concluding exhortation

1. Do not neglect, take for granted, or grow weary of the means of grace
2. In them, Christ himself is held forth — by a steady diet of Word and Sacrament, God firms up faith and grows godliness
3. The goal: to walk with God and adorn the gospel (Titus 2)