Boldness, Access, and Confidence Through the Faith of Christ

Lord's Day morning worship service sermon OUTLINE - 11 February 2018, Archdale church of Christ, 2525 Archdale Drive, Charlotte, NC 28210.  Your speaker is Russ McCullough.  The ACOC is a congregation of the undenominational church of Christ found exclusively in the New Testament.  "We preach Christ and Him crucified."  You will find presented "100% Organic Christianity - Nothing added, nothing deleted, nothing artificial."  Worship services are held at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Lord's Day.  We also meet for Bible study at 9 a.m. on Lord's Day and at 7 p.m. Wednesday evenings.  YOU are always welcome!

LISTEN! to this entire sermon on: SOUNDCLOUD:

https://soundcloud.com/archdale-church-of-christ/sermon-am-021118-ephesians-312-boldness-access-and-confidence-acoc-russ-mccullough

“The Faith of Christ Gives Boldness, Access, and Confidence”

“From Ulster Plantation to the Carolina’s with the Gospel!” *

Russell H. McCullough / Archdale church of Christ, 2525 Archdale Drive, Charlotte, NC 28210

www.archdale.org / gospelcall.blogspot.com - Date: 11 February 2018  

Text: Ephesians 3.7 - 12

Thesis: It’s not the power of our human faith but the Holy and Righteous faith of Christ in which we have DARING boldness, A DOOR of access, and DETERMINENT confidence!

Introduction – Today, many American theologians focus on the faith, or lack thereof, of individuals.  It is an ego centric rather than a God centric approach.  Man has the power if he just has enough faith to say the right words to God who then will be obligated to do the will of what man desires.  We call this the Word of Faith movement.  Kenneth and Gloria Copeland are two of the more prominent leaders of this movement.  Recently she said this regarding the flu:

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=gloria+copeland+video+of+the+flu&view=detail&mid=D7F03A161609C458FA24D7F03A161609C458FA24&FORM=VIRE

Quote from Gloria Copeland as reported by Anna Sheffer on February 6, 2018 @ 10:45 a.m. per her blog; “Hello Giggles”

Thankfully, none of us has to rely on our faith, our imagination, or our own “power of positive thinking” for salvation for no man could ever have such faith…but Jesus Christ DOES have a PERFECT faith! 

For He, as John Gill once said, is “both the author and object of our faith.”

The key verse in this passage is vs. 12: “in whom we are having the boldness and the access in confidence through the faith of Him.” – Literal Greek to English translation from the Textus Receptus

Today, let’s look at the 3 blessings we have which Paul describes as “through the faith of Him.”:

·       DARING or “boldness” of faith in Christ

·       DOOR or “access” to God Himself through Christ

·       DETERMINATION or “confidence” in the faith of Christ

I Our Faith in Christ is DARING

a.   Boldness is directly connected to Jesus – Acts 4.13

b.   Boldness is one thing for which we must pray – Acts 4.23 – 31

c.   Example of the Boldness of George Washington at Princeton on January 2 and 3, 1777.

d.   Video clip on Boldness from Mt. Vernon historian, Rick Atkinson:

https://vimeo.com/152296577

II Our Faith in Christ gives us ACCESS to God Himself through prayer

a.   By one Spirit unto the Father – Ephesians 2.18

b.   I John 1.9 – 10

c.   Psalms 80.3 – 7

1.   The Congregation stands:

III Our Faith in Christ gives us CONFIDENCE

a.   All confidence comes from God – Psalms 65.5

b.   Confidence is a “refuge, a secure place, a fortress”

c.   Proverbs 3.26

d.   Proverbs 14.26

CONCLUSION:  Through Christ we have faith to be BOLD, to have ACCESS and to be CONFIDENT.

The Meaning of the Text in It’s Theological, Historical & Cultural Context: 

The power of God’s Will is not in our power but in the power of Christ whose faith was perfect and blazed a trail for each of our weak souls.

The Challenge of the Text for Christians Today:  In our weakness we find the power of Christ and in His power, we find faith.  With God everything is possible but with man, nothing at all is ever possible.

“The Gospel Call” – “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” = Acts 2.38

·         My fifth great uncle was Hugh Gaston who was rector at the Ballywillan Presbyterian Church (pictured above left) in County Antrim, Ulster Plantation (Northern Ireland) and wrote the most dangerous book of his time; Gaston’s Collections.  It allowed “the ploughman to know more Bible than his clergyman.”  Hugh fled to South Carolina where he died prematurely of the measles.  He is buried just one hour south of Charlotte in Chester County, S.C. in “Burnt Meeting House Cemetery.”   Uncle Hugh continues to inspire my ministry to this very day.  You can read more about Uncle Hugh here: http://www.ballywillanpci.org/rev-hugh-gaston

Ruins photo courtesy of: ballywillanpci.org.