The Church As A Means Of Grace

Have you ever wondered if Church really THAT important or have you maybe wondered if you should just focus on your own personal relationship with Jesus, as so many people seem to talk about today? Is Church just an age old tradition that you do simply because Mom and Grandma did it, or does it truly have significance to Christian life today? We’ll last week we began a series on “The Means of Grace” and before we go any further could any of you tell me what a means of grace is by chance?

The means of grace are those avenues by which God has promised to give sanctifying grace to His people by the presence of His Word and His ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s table. It is through the means that we are strengthened in our faith as we are reminded of God’s faithfulness to us.

So today, we are going to cover the topic of the Communion of Saints, or the true Church today and how God uses it for our Christian growth and I want to do that as we look at two texts. The first is Acts 2:41-42

Acts 2:41–42 NKJV

41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

and the next one is in Hebrews 10:23-25

Hebrews 10:23–25 ESV

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

I want us to leave here knowing that the Church is a gathering of Holy people, connected to a Holy God, that come together for a Holy Purpose and Practice. Or if we want to have a sentence that makes it easily applied for us today we could say, “God has saved me to be apart of His Church that I may grow and serve others for His glory and our good.”

And with that said, I want us to begin by first knowing who the Church is. So I’ll ask you all, “Who makes up the Church?”

A Holy People

Now, I want to make something clear for us that is really important. There is something called the Local Church and the Universal Church. Now, the Universal Church is only made up of those who are truly saved by God’s grace but the local Church, like here at Beacon, may have people who are members that are not truly saved. One is visible, as in you can see who is apart of it but the universal is invisible, meaning that we can’t see who is truly apart of the True Church.

So when I say that the Church is a Holy People, I am saying that all true Christians, all people who really make up the True Church are those who have been born again by God’s grace.

In Ephesians 1:22-23

Ephesians 1:22–23 NKJV

22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

The Church isn’t a building, but a people who have been saved by the grace of God that gather together for the worship and service of God.

1 Peter 2:9 NKJV

9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

Now, can some of you tell me what the Church does? What happens within the gathering of Christians?

Okay, let me ask you this question to think about, “If we are just a group of people who gather because we enjoy each other, we want to serve each other, we want to see each other be better and we want to help others, how does that make us anything different that some of the local clubs and organizations around here? What makes us different?

Well, we are different because we are a Holy People, but what makes us a Holy People? Here it is: We are a Holy People built together upon

A Holy Connection

John 15:5 NKJV

5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Craig Troxel said, “Any conception or practice of a community that doesn’t build upon a supernatural foundation will inevitably construct a man-made community. Such a community lacks a soul. It is a distortion of the real thing.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the german martyr, said, “Christian community means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. There is no Christian community that is more than this, and none that is less than this… We belong to one another only through and in Jesus Christ… Christian community is founded on and animated by Christ, and this is what makes it different from any other community.”

So when we talk about the fellowship of Christian. It isn’t merely relationships with one another that bond us, but it is the fact that the have communion with God that first binds us!

What blows me away about the beauty of the Church is that I know what I am without Christ, I remember what I was and I am astounded that He invaded my life to save me and has connected me to Himself to yield fruit. And not only that, but in connecting me with Himself, He connected me with you who believe. And I just can’t believe that He loved me enough to give me such a community. So what makes us different from all other groups, what has allowed us to endure persecutions and hardships over 2000 years is that we are built upon none other than God Himself! And if that’s true...

Is it possible that we don’t see the astounding value of the Church, because we have not first witnessed the altering work of Christ in our hearts?

Hebrews 10:24–25 NKJV

24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

John Gill, in reference to this verse said, “Now to "forsake" such assembling, signifies a great infrequency in attending with the saints, a rambling from place to place...is the duty of saints to assemble together for public worship, on the account of God, who has appointed it, who approves of it, and whose glory is concerned in it; and on the account of the saints themselves, that they may be delighted, refreshed, comforted, instructed, edified, and perfected...And an assembling together ought not to be forsaken; for it is a forsaking God, and their own mercies, and such are like to be forsaken of God; nor is it known what is lost hereby; and it is the first outward visible step to apostasy, and often issues in it.”

We have seen that we are a Holy People that are connected to our Holy God but for what purpose? Let me quickly give you two things.

The Holy Purpose Of Worship

John 4:23–24 NKJV

23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Philippians 3:3 NKJV

3 For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,

1 Peter 2:9 NKJV

9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

“An assembly of public worship is not merely a gathering of God’s children with each other, but is, before all else, a meeting of the triune God with His covenant people.”

The highest privilege that we have as Christians is to simply worship and know our Creator and Redeemer.

This is the coming of the people of God into the presence of God. This is where we find encouragement, this is where we find help and where we are reminded of God’s faithfulness to us and our debt of gratitude we our to Him.

As a matter of fact, in 2 Chronicles 20:18-23 tells the story of Jehoshaphat sending the choir before their army while marching into battle and it is through the worship of God that they were delivered from their enemies. Are you plagued with worry and fear, are you struggling with a sin that feels like it’s smothering you? Run to worship the God who meets with His people and delivers them from their enemies!

Stop lesson here… pick up on Acts 6:17 in John Stott’s commentary next week.

A Holy Practice

Demonstration of Spiritual Gifts

1 Peter 4:10 NKJV

10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

This verse is explaining that God saves us, enables us with spiritual gifts and will use them to bless others in their Christian walks.

Church Discipline

Matthew 18:18–20 NKJV

18 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

You may be wondering, “How could something as uncomfortable as that be a means of grace?” And the thing is, is unless the Spirit convicts the heart of the person being disciplined there will be no good come of it for them. However, since the Church desires to pursue holiness, and since this has the sanction of Heaven behind it, we carry it out with the desire that God will restore our sinful brother and sister to us as they are brought to repent of their sinfulness and it is certainly in that that we are both encouraged, they are restored and we grow closer as a Church.