Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church,
located at 905 Yadkin Street in Kingsport, Tennessee, would
like to invite you to listen to a message of sovereign grace
by their pastor, Gabe Stoniker. And now, Pastor Gabe Stoniker. I will be speaking to you today
from Ephesians chapter 3. If you would like to read along
with me, I will be in Ephesians 3, verse 12 will be our text. And the last four words of verse
11 say, Christ Jesus, our Lord. That's who the Apostle Paul is
speaking of, Christ Jesus, our Lord. Verse 12 says, in whom? In Christ Jesus, our Lord, we
have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him,
Christ Jesus our Lord. The title of this message is
boldness, access, and confidence. Those are three wonderful things,
aren't they? Boldness, access, and confidence. And Paul said
those three things come to the child of God by the faith of
Christ. by the faith of Christ. That
word of is a very important word in the scripture when it's attached
to faith. The faith of. I'm using an authorized
King James Version Bible. And this particular Bible, this
particular layout, went out of print. And some people recently
who also used this particular layout and like it very much,
they went in together and had this Bible reprinted. They wanted
to be able to get it again, get another copy of it, let others
have a copy of it. So they went in together and
they had the Bible reprinted. And when the scans were being
made, the printer asked them, He gave a few scriptures, and
I'm going to show those scriptures to you this morning, but he asked
them, do you want us to print the Bible like it was originally
written with the word of, or do you want us to change it to
the word in, like a lot of people are doing nowadays? A lot of
people are changing some of the words as they get reprinted,
and they're using the word in. And the people who had it printed
said, absolutely not. Don't change it. If that's what
God originally wrote, don't change it. It's the faith of, print
the word of, that's what they said. And that's what the printers
did. It is the faith of Christ, meaning it's His. That's what
it means. It's His. Do believers have faith
in Christ? Absolutely they do. Yes, they
do. But God's people know that the
only reason that they have faith in Christ is because He gave
it to them. That's the only reason. It's
His. It's His to give. It's His to withhold. It's His.
It's the faith of Christ. It originates in Him. It comes
from Him. It is performed in a center by
Him. The scripture says, it is God
which worketh in you both to will and do of His good pleasure. So faith is not our initiation
to Him. When people think of faith, they
think of us initiating something to Him. That's not what it is.
Faith is our response to Him. And it's very important that
we never lose sight of that. We must constantly remember that
it is the faith of Christ. Now, through the faith or by
the faith that Christ gives, This is what the child of God
receives. By that faith, this is what the child of God receives.
I want to look at a few of those scriptures that the printer named.
The first one is in Galatians 2. If you want to look with me,
Galatians 2 verse 16, it says, knowing that a man is not justified
by the works of the law. Justified means declared to be
in perfect agreement with the law. It's declared to be innocent,
declared to be right, declared to be not a lawbreaker. That's
what justified means. Think about what this is saying.
Verse 16, knowing that a man is not justified by the works
of the law, by the commandments of the Bible, the works of the
law. A man is not declared to be in
perfect agreement with the law. A man is not declared to be innocent
and right and not a lawbreaker by the works of doing the law. A man or a woman cannot be. They
cannot fulfill the works of the law. They will never be justified
through the deeds of the law. That has never been how men and
women were ever justified before God. The first man and woman
could not keep His law and no man or woman sins. Well, how
are men and women justified before God? It goes on to say in verse
16, by the faith of Jesus Christ. It's very important that it does
not say in right there. Very important, because the word
of gives all the glory to. It ascribes all the work to Jesus
Christ. Justification before God starts
with Him, it comes from Him, it's a work that is performed
by Him, and the result is then in Him. After he does all that,
the result is in him. Do we have faith in him? We most
certainly do. Yes, we do. But it's only because
of the faith of him. It's only because of the faith
that he gives to us that causes us to look to him and believe
in him. Now let's read this whole verse right here, Galatians 2
verse 16. Knowing that a man is not justified
by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Jesus
Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ. And not
by the works of the law, for by the works of the law shall
no flesh be justified in His sight." God's people believe
in the faith of. That's what God's people believe
in. The faith of. We are justified by the faith
of the Lord Jesus Christ. All right, look with me right
here in Galatians 2 at verse 20. Galatians 2 verse 20 says,
I am crucified with Christ. And that's salvation. That's
our gospel of good news. But I died with Him. I am crucified
with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. Yet not
I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which I now live
in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me
and gave Himself for me." What he's saying is, I am not spiritually
alive. He said, this is how I live.
This is how I've been made alive. And he's not saying I'm spiritually
alive because I loved Christ and gave myself to Him. That's
not the reason. He said, I'm spiritually alive
only because Christ loved me and gave himself for me. It's
because of what he did. It all started with him. So we're
justified by the faith of Christ and we live by the faith of Christ. These are the things that come
to us by the faith of Christ. We're justified and we live. The just shall live by faith.
If you look with me at Philippians chapter 3, a few more pages over
to Philippians 3, it says in verse 7, but what things were
gained to me, those I counted loss for Christ. What I used to think was so important,
this is what Paul is saying, what I used to think was so important,
what I used to think was Great gain to me. This is what brought
gain to me. He said, now I count it all loss.
Now I count it worthless. No gain at all for Christ, that
I might win Christ. Verse eight, yea, doubtless,
and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss
of all things and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which
is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ. the righteousness which is of
God by faith. Not only does the faith of Christ
justify us before God, and not only does the faith of Christ
bring life to us, the faith of Christ makes us righteous. Righteous before Him. Righteous
means right and good. Outside of Christ, there is none
good, no not one. All I am in my sinful flesh is
sinful flesh. And all you are in your sinful
flesh is sinful flesh. We are sin. David, King David
said, the man that God said is a man after his own heart. David
said, I was conceived in sin. It's what I am. It's what I was
made to be. Sin is all that we are, but in
Christ, through the gift of the faith of Christ, the scripture
says, we're holy, we're pure, we're perfect, we're good, we're
right, we're righteous. That's amazing to me, that's
just amazing. How can this sinful flesh be
right with God? by the faith of Jesus Christ.
The scripture says, Abraham believed God, and that's what faith does.
It believes God. It looks to Christ. It trusts
Christ. Abraham believed God, and it
was counted unto him for righteousness. We're justified by the faith
of Christ. We live by the faith of Christ. We are righteous by
the faith of Christ. And if you'll turn with me to
Colossians chapter 2, it says in Colossians 2 verse 9, For
in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you
are complete in him which is the head of all principality
and power. in whom also you are circumcised
with the circumcision made without hands." That means circumcision
of the heart, and that's where faith comes. When God moves on
a sinner, He moves on the heart. He puts faith in the heart, the
faith of Christ in the heart. He said in verse 11, in whom
also you are circumcised with the circumcision made without
hands in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the
circumcision of Christ. He was cut off in our stead. He was cut off so we wouldn't
have to be. Verse 12 says, buried with him
in baptism, wherein also you are risen with him through the
faith of. the operation of God, who hath
raised Him from the dead. We are risen from the dead by
the faith of Jesus Christ. Verse 13, and you being dead
in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened
together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses. blotting
out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was
contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His
cross. He nailed it all to His cross.
We suffered with Him. That baptism into Him is God's
Holy Spirit laying hold of us as His chosen people and immersing
us into Christ, immersing us into the blood of Christ, immersing
us into His death, immersing us into His suffering. We suffered
with Him, we died with Him, we were buried with Him, and we
have risen with Him. And every bit of that has come
to us, it's been made known to us, we have been quickened to
that, to a knowledge of that, a belief of that, through the
faith of Christ. Believing on Christ, the faith
of Jesus Christ, we're justified, we live, we're righteous, we're
risen by the faith of Christ. And if you'll go back to our
text, we'll see one more thing that we have by the faith of
Christ. Back in Ephesians 3, verse 12, it says, in whom we
have boldness and access with confidence. That's what we have. By the faith of Him. Boldness, access, and confidence. Listen to the definition of those
three words. Boldness means Freedom in speaking,
openly, frankly, without concealment, not having to hide anything.
It means cheerful courage, happy courage, boldness. Access means
admission, an open way without denial, Come on in, that's what
it means. An open way without denial. It
means the ability, the right, and the permission to approach
and enter in. That's what access means. When
you have all access, you have the ability, you have the right,
you have the permission to approach and enter in. Confidence means
trust, reliance, and assurance. Assurance, trust, assurance.
Verse 12 says, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence
by the faith of Him. I want to give you an illustration.
I want to tell you a story. that I believe perfectly illustrates
this boldness, this access, and this confidence that we have
through the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ, that we have in
Christ. This is what we sinners receive
in the Lord Jesus Christ. This story is about a Union soldier
in the Civil War, way back in the Civil War. A Union soldier,
he got word that his mother was dying and he wanted to go see
his mother before she died. And the only hope that he had
of being able to do that was if he could get to President
Abraham Lincoln and be granted leave. He was in the army and
he could not leave. He could not freely leave to
go see his mother. He knew his only hope was to
get to the president. So he made his way to the White
House. He did get to the White House. And he walked up to the
front doors of the White House, and there were two guards there,
and he pled his case to them. He told them, this is who I am,
and this is what's going on, this is what's happened to my
mother, and this is what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to go
home and see her before she dies. And my only hope of being able
to do that is if I can get in to see President Lincoln and
if he would grant me leave. And their answer to him, the
guard's answers to him was, you can't. You need to leave. You need to turn around and go
back to where you came from. And he begged him. He begged
him, please, please, I am begging you, I must get in to see him. This is my only hope is if I
can get to the president." And they said, I'm sorry, but you
can't. You cannot see the president.
We don't care what your situation is. We are under direct orders
to let no one into this house. And you're not coming in. You
are not coming in. The soldier said, you don't understand. You don't understand. This is
my only hope. This is my only hope. They said,
no, you don't understand. You're unauthorized. We are under
direct orders and you are not coming in. You cannot come in. We're terribly sorry, but you're
going to have to turn around and leave. And that poor soldier, sat down
right there on the steps of the White House. He put his head
in his hands and he just started crying. He sat there and he just
cried and cried. And a little boy was walking
by and he saw this soldier sitting there with his head in his hands,
just crying. And he walked up to that man
and he said, what's wrong, mister? And the man said, son, you wouldn't
understand. You just wouldn't understand.
And he sat down right next to him and he said, well, tell me,
what is it? So the man told him what his situation was. He said,
my mother's dying. And my only hope of being able
to see her before she dies is if I can get in to see President
Abraham Lincoln and ask him if he will give me leave. And I
can't get in. I'm unauthorized. and they will
not let me in." And the little boy said, well, I'll take you
in. Come on, come with me, let's go. So they got up and they walked
up those steps and they walked straight through the front doors
of the White House, right past those guards. And they walked
down the hall and they passed another set of guards And that
little boy opened a door, and they walked straight into the
Oval Office. And there sat President Abraham
Lincoln. And President Lincoln looked
at that little boy and said, what can I do for you, son? And
the little boy said, Dad, this man needs to see you. That little boy was Tad Lincoln,
the son of the president. And what He did for that man
is exactly what Christ has done for us. Everything that man received
in that little boy, that's what we have received
in the Lord Jesus Christ. In Him, we have boldness. Boldness, not arrogance. Never
arrogance. Oh, I'm sure that man did not
take one step in arrogance. Humility. But we have cheerful courage. Can you imagine how happy that
man was? He couldn't believe he was stepping into the White
House. He couldn't believe there sits the president. Cheerful
courage. In him, we have access an open
way without denial. Not one person said, you can't
come in here. In Him, we have the ability,
we have the right, and we have the permission to approach and
enter in. And in Him, we have confidence.
We have assurance. absolute assurance that we will
be received. That little boy had total assurance
that the president was going to receive him. Dad, he said,
and that's what we have in Christ,
total assurance. I want to close this message
out with these verses of Scripture. If you'll look with me at Hebrews
chapter 4, it says in Hebrews 4 verse 14, that we have a great high priest
that is passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God. Let us hold fast our profession,
seeing that we have someone who has passed into the heavens for
us, entered in the way for us, pleaded our case for us. That little boy pleaded that
man's case for him. And that's what Christ has done
for us. Our high priest, the one who interceded and pled our
case for us. Seeing then that we have a great
high priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of
God, Let us hold fast our profession." What's our profession? Faith
in Him. Him alone. He's our only hope. That little boy was that man's
only hope. Verse 15, "'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.'" In this
illustration of this little boy, he felt for that man. I know
he did, that's why he brought him in, but that cannot illustrate
what Christ did for us. Christ did not just feel for
us, he felt us. He did not just feel for our
sins, he took our sins and felt our sins. He bore our sins. Took them from us and bore them
for us. Verse 15, we have not a 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.
Never did he sin, he took ours. Verse 16 says, let us therefore
come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy
and find grace to help in time of need. That's what we have
in Christ, our one true need. We need to be saved from sin.
We need to be redeemed from death. And we can come boldly in Christ
to the throne of grace, free gift, that we may find mercy,
not receiving what we deserve for our sin. We may find mercy
and find grace to help in time of need. Thank God for Christ
and everything we have in Him. Till next week, may the Lord
bless His Word to our hearts. You have been listening to a
message by Gabe Stoniker, pastor of Kingsport Sovereign Grace
Church in Kingsport, Tennessee. If you would like a copy of this
message or to hear other messages of sovereign grace, log on to
our website at ksgctn.org. If you would like to come and
worship with us, our service times are Sunday morning Bible
study at 10 o'clock a.m., worship at 10.45 a.m., and 6 o'clock
p.m., Wednesday evening at 7.30 p.m. Please tune in next week
for another message of God's free and sovereign grace.