Going Boldly Before the Throne

1
Going Boldly Before the Throne

• Ephesians 38-13 and
• Our Confidence in Christ Alone

2
The Mystery Revealed

• EPH 19 He made known to us the mystery of His
  will, according to His kind intention which He
  purposed in Him
• EPH 34-5 By referring to this, when you read you
  can understand my insight into the mystery of
  Christ, which in other generations was not made
  known to the sons of men, as it has now been
  revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the
  Spirit

3
The Unfathomable Riches of Christ

• EPH 38-9 To me, the very least of all saints,
  this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles
  the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring
  to light what is the administration of the
  mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who
  created all things

4
The Background of Mystery Religions

• Focus on hidden and secret knowledge
• Interaction with the gods to attain this secret
  knowledge.
• Secrets remain within the Community
• Seeds of Gnosticism

5
An Ironic Reversal

• EPH 310 so that the manifold wisdom of God might
  now be made known through the church to the
  rulers and the authorities in the heavenly
  places.

6
Angels Long to Look

• 1PE 112 It was revealed to them that they were
  not serving themselves, but you, in these things
  which now have been announced to you through
  those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy
  Spirit sent from heaven -- things into which
  angels long to look.

7
The Sovereign Plan of God

• EPH 311 This was in accordance with the eternal
  purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our
  Lord,

8
Christ-Centered Confidence

• EPH 312 in whom we have boldness and confident
  access through faith in Him.

9
The One and Only Mediator

• 1Timothy 25 For there is one God, and one
  mediator also between God and men, the man Christ
  Jesus,

10
Glory in Tribulations

• EPH 313 Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at
  my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your
  glory.

11
1 Establish a Proper Perspective of the Angelic
Realm

• 1Peter 58
• Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your
  adversary, the devil, prowls around like a
  roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

• Hebrews 114
• Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to
  render service for the sake of those who will
  inherit salvation?

12
2 Be Bold and Confident Because of Your
Forerunner

• HEB 617-20 In the same way God, desiring even
  more to show to the heirs of the promise the
  unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with
  an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in
  which it is impossible for God to lie, we who
  have taken refuge would have strong encouragement
  to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope
  we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both
  sure and steadfast and one which enters within
  the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner
  for us, having become a high priest forever
  according to the order of Melchizedek.