Holy Boldness

Boldness of Access.

Text Ephesians 3:11-13  

Paul has begun his dictation with the intention of praying for the Christians in the city of Ephesus. For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles… He fears that they have heard about his arrest in Jerusalem and that this news will unsettle them, that they will begin to ask why!  So he wants to pray for them, but just as he introduces his intention in verse one, moved by the Holy Spirit, he begins this long digression, in which he talks about how he came to be the bearer of such Good News,  So let’s explore these final verses of the chapter…

1. You’re a Bold Boy/Girl!  12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence

We come with humility, we come in prayer with reverence, with the fear of God heavy upon our hearts, knowing that the God we approach is our creator, and our ultimate judge, and who provided for us a way of salvation, at great cost, though his own son Jesus Christ, at the cross. Is it any wonder we come, – broken and guilty and on bended knee, in abject humility and poverty of spirit. We cannot come before God in any other way.   And yet we come BOLDLY! See V12, In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. Let’s think about this:

• We have COURAGE! That’s what boldness really means, not ‘cheekiness’ or impertinence. But courage to draw near.
  • God is by nature unapproachable! We sinners could never walk blithely into the presence of God, – as unforgiven sinners, the holiness of God would overwhelm us, we would be burned up in his presence. READ this description of God in 1 Timothy 6:15-16  God’s purity and holiness is so great that he is unapproachable! Yet people still expect that they can go straight to heaven, with unforgiven sin? What utter impertinence! AND there’s more. For the unrepentant sinner, – 
  • God is unapproachable, even in prayer! We do not have any right to approach the father in heaven with our personal agendas and demands for his favour. Isaiah 59:2   And YET
• WE have ACCESS! With boldness, we can come right into the presence of God, as believers, whose sins have been forgiven, – covered by the blood of Christ, when we come to God, he sees his sinless son, he regards our STATUS as believers, – we are already dwelling in heavenly places, and we are in his presence in prayer, in worship, and when this life is over, we are absent from the body, but present with the Lord.  Hebrews 10:19-22 The veil of the temple that separated sinful mankind from the Holy God has been torn in two, and we have access to God, now and in eternity!  AND
• We have CONFIDENCE! We come into God’s presence with confidence knowing that our prayers will be heard, and that they will be answered, in accordance with God’s will.  Hebrews 4:16  What great confidence we can have, knowing that we are living in the presence of God, under the shadow of his wings. We need never worry or fear, but rest secure, knowing that the Lord is always with us.

So, as believers, we have boldness, access and confidence, knowing that we, as individuals are part of God’s eternal purpose. Now, we must see how that access to God is obtained…

2. In Christ, by Faith. by the faith of him.

Now see that this promise of access to God is clearly a matter of faith in Christ. The AV reads, “by the faith of him.” It is, at least as far as word order is concerned, extremely literal. δια της πιστεως αυτου ‘by the faith of him.’ It’s not usual for the AV translators to use the exact Greek word order, – the faith referred to here is not Christ’s faith, but rather our faith in him. Paul has already told us that salvation is by grace through faith, in chapter 2. Ephesians 2:8  Having faith in Christ changes our status before God. We are in status, already in God’s presence – even already in heaven, just waiting for the realisation of that status Ephesians 1:3  and we have the downpayment, the Holy Spirit, the earnest of our inheritance, as the guarantee that our expectations will not be frustrated or disappointed.

So, we already have access to God through simple faith in Christ.

3. Digression Concluded. 13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

With this wonderful promise, Paul’s digression has reached its conclusion.  Everything that has happened to Paul, even his imprisonment and impending trial and martyrdom, is part of God’s unfolding purpose, it’s all part of the plan, that God would redeem all his people and bring them into his kingdom, to demonstrate his glory on the last day. So he cheers the hearts of the Ephesians, and comforts them, and exhorts them not to lose hope, don’t faint, – this is all for you, to bring you, the Gentiles this amazing good news, – the promise of eternal life in Christ.