In the sermon 'The Wisdom of God on Display' by Jason Dohm, the focus is on Paul's message from Ephesians 3:9-13. The sermon highlights how the gospel reveals God's manifold wisdom, particularly in the inclusion of Gentiles as fellow heirs with Jews in the body of Christ. Dohm explains that this mystery, once hidden, is now made known through the church, showcasing God's wisdom to spiritual realms. The sermon emphasizes the privilege of believers' union with Christ, granting them boldness and access to God. Paul's tribulations are seen as part of God's eternal purpose, demonstrating the cost of spreading the gospel and encouraging believers not to lose heart. The sermon calls for appreciation of the gospel's depth, prayer for the church's vitality, and enjoyment of the confidence found in Christ.

Well, we're really picking up the pace this morning, a whole five verses, but a good section for sure. The sermon text for today will be verses 9 through 13, but for context, we'll be starting in verse 1 of chapter 3. "'For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus, for you Gentiles, if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, How that by revelation he made known to me the mystery as I have briefed I've briefly written already By which when you read you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ Which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs of the same body and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power. To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God, who created all things through Christ Jesus.

To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places according to the eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart in my tribulations for you, which is your glory. Let's pray. Almost holy and gracious Father, we do want to thank you and just praise you for your word. Thank you for having us in this book of Ephesians.

Thank you for these few chapters. Thank you for Christ who is our cornerstone. And as it was said earlier, as we're in this time of year where your death and resurrection are more on our thoughts, Oh Lord, let us remember that we would not have anything in this in Ephesians if it wasn't for that. If it was not for your death and for you rising from the grave, Lord God, there would be no cornerstone to build your church on. There'd be no mystery to be revealed.

There'd be no wall broken down making one people. There would be no salvation, Lord. So we thank you and praise you for rescuing us from our sins, pulling out these dead hearts of stone and replacing them with a heart of flesh. For making us your children and calling us today to worship you in spirit and in truth, what a privilege that is. Lord, we pray for Jason.

You would give him wisdom as he comes to preach. Give him words to speak, give us ears to hear. And Lord God, may those in this room that don't know you, may today be the day of salvation for them. Today would be the day that you pull out their hearts of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh. They would run to you in repentance and faith.

They'd be able to read Ephesians 3 and say, this is where God saved me. Thank you Lord God bless this time. Here's something we pray, Amen. The title of the sermon this morning is the wisdom of God on display. Paul makes the argument in our text today that it's the gospel that vindicates the wisdom of God.

It's the gospel that puts God's wisdom in the saving of sinners on display, actually before the principalities and powers in the spiritual realm. Last week, verse 8, Paul marveled at the grace of God in his own life. We saw in 1 Timothy that he, reflecting back on his personal history, described himself as a blasphemer and a violent and insolent man. God wasn't content to let that be the end of his story. God reached into his life and saved him and then gave him the great privilege of announcing the unsearchable riches of Christ to the Gentiles.

It reads like Paul almost can't believe it's true that he who describes himself in verse 8 as less than the least of all the saints should be given this high privilege of preaching these riches of Christ to the Gentiles. In our text today, he continues on that theme. He continues to attempt to unravel these unsearchable riches. He continues to attempt to search the unsearchable riches. You might think that is a fool's errand.

Here is what I would say. It might be true that we can never get to the bottom of them, but man is it fun trying. Is it such a worthy occupation to try to get to the bottom of the bottomless well? We just keep peeling back layers and find that it's riches upon riches upon riches. And so Paul keeps piling them up for us so as we come to our tax let's ask the Lord to help us.

God your Word is such a treasure and such a daunting task to do any text justice, but especially these Texts on the unsearchable riches of your son. God, I pray that you would show us the riches of your son. Please, please be present to show us the riches of your Son that we would be found to be so happy in Jesus. So glad in all that is our present possession in Christ. May it be so in Jesus' name, Amen.

Well, the scope of our text today is Ephesians 3 verses 9 and 13. I'm going to subdivide into four different sections. So let's start with verse 9. Hopefully you're still in Ephesians 3. Follow along as I reread verse 9.

Paul continues, And to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning at the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ. Now this is just one verse. I find verses 9 through 13 to be quite a tangle of phrases. And I want to remind you of what I've been reminding you of, which is that in Greek, Verses 2 through 13 are all a single sentence. So if we think we're dealing with a tangle of phrases just in verse 9, which feels that way to me.

But when you start to untangle them, what you find is very plain, simple, wonderful truths. So It might take us a little bit to untangle the phrases, but it's worth the work, because the truths that are taught are not all that complex. So when you begin to separate the phrases and look at them, what you find is just wonderful, plain truth. So let's do that. In verse 9, Paul tells us his mission, to make all see the fellowship of the glorious mystery.

So if you happen to be taking notes on the handout by filling in blanks, fellowship and mystery fill in the blanks. To make all see the fellowship of this glorious mystery is Paul's mission. Now remember, Paul has summarized the mystery for us in verse 6. If you look back in verse 6, he doesn't leave us wondering what the mystery is. The mystery has been revealed.

It was a mystery from time past, only to be known by revelation of God, but he has revealed it. So Paul summarizes the mystery in verse 6. It is that the Jews and the Gentiles have been made fellow heirs and members of the same body through the Gospel. So there is a fellowship in that mystery. There's the bringing together of Jews and Gentiles in Christ.

Among human beings, there are only Jews and Gentiles. That's everybody. Everyone is brought together by the work of Jesus Christ, by faith, by trusting in Jesus. So there's a fellowship in that mystery. There's a bringing together in that mystery.

It is a global fellowship. It is a worldwide fellowship. Paul says, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery. Paul's mission, the mission given to him as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. Remember that's how he introduces himself in Ephesians 1 verse 1, Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God.

He was given the mission to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery. He has been made a good news announcer to planet earth. That's Paul's mission. Paul, what are you supposed to be doing? I'm supposed to be announcing the good news as it is in Jesus to everyone everywhere to planet earth.

Jesus said, Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them. It's the first part of Matthew 28-19. What do we know it as? We know it as the Great Commission. This is just the Great Commission working itself out in Paul's life.

He was a good news announcer to planet Earth. He was to go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them. This is just the great commission given by Jesus Christ to His people working its way out in the world as Jesus sends ambassadors out into the most unlikely places like Ephesus and Youngsville and everywhere else. So in Revelation chapter 5, we like to sing the song, Is He Worthy? It's about this vision given to John in Revelation chapter 5, where all the people are gathered before him praising him.

Who's there? Every tribe, tongue, people and nation. That's what Revelation chapter 5 says of this great gathering of the Church of God. Every tribe, tongue, people and nation. God's saving work had been focused on Abraham's family, on the children of Israel for centuries.

So this worldwide plan had not been known, It had been hidden in God from the beginning of the ages. That's what Paul says in our text. But now God has revealed it and He sent heralds out into all the world to declare the terms of peace with God through the work of Jesus Christ. It's as open to an Ephesian pagan as it ever has been to any Jew who ever lived. That's the beauty of the Gospel, is that God has sent heralds to every corner of the earth to announce that peace with God is as available to a pagan Ephesian or someone born in Youngsville, North Carolina as it ever has been to any Jew who has ever lived.

Paul reminds us that God, quote, created all things through Jesus Christ. That's how he ends verses 9 by reminding us that everything that's ever been created has been created through Jesus Christ. Remember the first words of John 1. John 1 verses 1-3, In the beginning was the Word, Jesus is the Word. So, in the beginning was Jesus, and the Word was with God, Jesus was with God, and the Word was God.

Jesus was and is God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made." So Paul here is just reaffirming what John begins his Gospel with, that everything that we've ever known or seen or experienced, everything that's ever been made, was made through the Lord Jesus Christ. Now why is Paul reciting this truth here? Well, every tribe, tongue, people and nation was created through Jesus.

Not just the Jews, everyone. If you've been given a life, you've been given a life through creation in Jesus. So it is fitting that every tribe, tongue, people, and nation should be redeemed through Jesus Christ. The creation of Jesus Christ is not isolated to Jews and so neither is redemption. It is for all people.

Now moving to verses 10 and 11. Ephesians 3 verses 10 and 11. Let me re-read those. To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places." There's another tangle of phrases. Let me reread that and I'll keep going this time.

To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the Church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord." Here in verses 10 and 11, Paul gives us the purpose to display in the spiritual realm the wisdom of what Jesus has done. So if you're taking notes by filling in blanks on the handout, wisdom fills in the blank. Paul gives us the purpose to display in the spiritual realm the wisdom of what Jesus has done. Okay, what is Paul doing? Paul tells us exactly what he's doing, what God is doing, to the intent that.

This is the purpose of what God is doing. Now that the mystery has been revealed, the manifold wisdom of God might be made known. This word translated manifold here, the manifold wisdom of God. If you look in the Greek lexicon where it expands the definition of that word, you find multifaceted, multicolored. So the wisdom of God is described this way.

It is varied. It is not simple and one-dimensional. It is complex and multi-dimensional. You might even call it multi-colored. The wisdom of God is multi-faceted.

It is complex, but wonderful. So the revealing of the Gospel mystery makes this multi-colored wisdom of God known. Known to whom? Paul says it is to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. His multi-faceted wisdom in the Gospel, in the good news of Jesus going to the ends of the world, this multifaceted wisdom of God is made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.

That just means in the spiritual realm. We were first introduced to these terms, the principalities and powers in the heavenly places in Ephesians chapter 1. Let's go back and see where we were introduced to this phrase. It's in verse 21, but I'm going to begin in Ephesians chapter 1, the last phrase of verse 19. So if you're with me, you're following what I'm re-reading.

Look at Ephesians 1, the last phrase in verse 19. According to the working of his mighty power, which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead, and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. So at the beginning of verse 21, chapter 1 verse 21 there, we see that Christ has been given a place that is far above all principality and power. Same Greek words translated into the same English words. The point that he's making there in chapter one is that Jesus has a place that is far above every authority structure in every realm in every age.

How do you like that? Every authority structure, in every realm, spiritual realm, earthly realm, in every age. That is the place that Jesus has been given by his Father. Now Paul says that this worldwide good news displays the wisdom of God to those in the spiritual realm. How does God do that?

Paul says something puzzling. He says, by the church. By the church. This worldwide good news displays the wisdom of God to those in the spiritual realm, to spiritual entities by the Church. The Church does that.

Let me take you to three passages that I think throw light on how it is that the Church vindicates the wisdom of God in saving sinners everywhere on planet earth. Number one, I'm giving you three. Number one, consider what Jesus says in Luke 15 verse 10. Jesus says, Likewise I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. The message of good news in Jesus comes to a sinner somewhere.

The Spirit is present to give faith as a gift, and a sinner repents. What happens? The Angels rejoice. There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. The wisdom of God and the saving of sinners is vindicated every time one sinner repents.

How many sinners on planet earth have repented this hour? We don't know the number, but it's a big number. That's the first text that I think throws light on this. Angels rejoicing over every sinner who repents. The wisdom of God being displayed among principalities and powers in the heavenly places, in the repenting of sinners.

1 Peter chapter 1, I'll be reading verses 10-12. Peter writes, Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully who prophesied of the grace that would come to you. Searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when he testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. That would follow. So far, he's saying that God has told the prophets of a salvation that would come, and they wanted to know more than was revealed to them of the timing and manner of the coming of this salvation.

So they searched carefully into the prophecy, the revelation that God had given them to declare wanting to know the timing and the manner of this great salvation. Continuing in verse 12, To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which have now been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven." Here's the punchline for us. The very last phrase in verse 12, things which angels desire to look into. It wasn't just the prophets who wanted to know more than God had revealed. God revealed to the prophets a mighty salvation for sinners, and the prophets wanted to know more about the timing of it and the manner of it than God was pleased to reveal to them.

And these have been the things that were fulfilled in Jesus, were things which angels desire to look into. The salvation of sinners is a topic which the angels desire to look into. The angels have been watching salvation history play out through the centuries in a unique way. All you know is your lifetime. A great example of angels watching salvation history play out through centuries in a unique way is what we've been encountering in Luke chapter 1 on Sunday evenings.

We're in Luke chapter 1 and We've come upon Gabriel who in Daniel chapter 9 brings Daniel revelation about the 70 weeks and about the Messiah being cut off, a substitutionary death, and then about 500 years later he comes to Zacharias to tell him about the forerunner. We are coming in Luke chapter 1 to him coming to Mary to talk to her about the birth of our Savior. Gabriel is an angel who gave this message of salvation to Daniel and then 500 years later he is still bringing this message. The angels have been watching salvation history play out through the centuries in a unique way that we can't hardly imagine because our lifespans are so small. Number three.

Number three. Matthew 16, verse 18. Matthew 16, Jesus has asked the disciples, who do men say that I am. They give various answers and then he says who do you say that I am. Peter says you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Here is what Jesus says in response to that in Matthew 16 verse 18. And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. The gates of the kingdom of darkness will not prevail against Jesus' church which He is building. As we will learn in Ephesians chapter 6 in the text about the whole armor of God. Some of the principalities and powers are actually demonic forces.

The spiritual realm isn't just comprised of angels who are loyal to God, who serve and worship God. The spiritual realm is also comprised of principalities and powers which are demonic forces. The existence of the Church that advances and batters the gates of hell, display the wisdom of God in transforming sinners and turning them into an army that plunders the kingdom of darkness all over the world. The existence of the church displays the wisdom of God. The growth of the church displays the wisdom of God.

The sustaining of the church displays the wisdom of God. The advancing of the church, which cannot be stopped even by the forces of hell, displays the wisdom of God. Let's look again at verse 11. According to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. This was God's eternal purpose.

The Trinity always meant to do this. Think back to chapter 1 where we were given this Trinitarian section of what God the Father does in the saving of sinners, what God the Son does in the saving of sinners, what God the Spirit does in the saving of sinners. The Trinity conspired together in eternity past to save sinners. They always meant to do this and it has been accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, the Lord and Head of the Church. Now think about this for a minute.

Don't miss the wonder of this. How did Jesus accomplish this? What was it that He who had been with God in the beginning, was God in the beginning, came and exercised his mighty power to bring glory to himself. No, he accomplished this by humbling himself, and taking on human flesh, and dying the shameful death of being crucified. Turn to 1 Corinthians 1.

Turn to 1 Corinthians 1. Paul elaborates on his wonder at how different the wisdom of God is from conventional wisdom. It is called the wisdom of man in 1st Corinthians 1, but I'll just call it conventional wisdom. How different it is from anything that we would dream up. 1st Corinthians 1 verses 18 through 25.

Paul writes this in 1st Corinthians 1, starting in verse 18, For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, But to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age?

Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For Since in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness. But to those who are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

God wanted to show his power in the saving of sinners. How did he do that? He sent his son in weakness to die the death of a criminal and then just to send out ordinary men into the world, weak men into the world to declare this and to plunder the kingdom of darkness through all of that. God wanted to display His power through all the things that we think are weak. That's the wisdom of God and the power of God.

It turns everything on its head. What a display to the spiritual realm. Angels have desired to look into these things. God, how are you going to save those sinners? I'm going to send my son in weakness, in flesh, to die the death of a criminal.

Then I am going to send out ordinary men into the world to declare this, to plunder Satan's kingdom. The gates of Satan's kingdom won't be able to withstand the battering of that church. Amazing. The wisdom of God is not like the things we would dream up, Which means we should trust him and follow him and not trust our thoughts so much or follow our own thoughts. Back to our text.

Verse 12, continuing to work through this little by little. Ephesians 3 verse 12. He just said, accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. Verse 12, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. In whom, in Christ Jesus our Lord, we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.

In verse 12 we are given the great privilege of union with Christ, boldness and access with confidence. Maybe that should be privileges, but They seem like the same thing to me, so I made it singular. If you're taking notes on the handout button, filling in blanks, boldness and access, fill in your blanks. The great privilege of union with Christ. Boldness and access with confidence.

In Jesus Christ our Lord, we have boldness and access with confidence through faith. Here's what the Expositors Bible commentary says about this. Christians now possess a bold sense of courage in their relationship with God. They no longer cower in fear, nor are they any longer demoralized by their shameful pasts." Think about how good that is. I'm just going to read it again.

Christians now possess a bold sense of courage in their relationship with God. They no longer cower in fear, nor are they any longer demoralized by their shameful pasts. In Christ, joined to Jesus by faith, entrusting ourselves to Jesus, my relationship with God is totally transformed. It goes from being a relationship to God to being in relationship with God. Outside of Christ I have a relationship to God.

He is an all-knowing, righteous, almighty judge, and I am a sinner who deserves condemnation, who deserves a guilty verdict on my thoughts and my words and my deeds. But Christ totally transforms that by dealing with my sin and He brings me into relationship with God. Outside of Christ you should think and say that you have a relationship to God and he is judge. But in Christ you have a relationship with God. You have been made a son, better than even a servant in the house, but been brought in as a co-heir with the son that he loves, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, let's just apply that right now. Have you entrusted yourself to Jesus, lock, stock and barrel? That means head to toe. Just thrown yourself on Jesus, leaving nothing in reserve, but just, you're my only hope, and just entrusted yourself to Jesus. If the answer to that question is yes, are you enjoying boldness and confident and access with confidence with God.

Because the point of this text is you were meant to. You were meant to. If you have thrown yourself on Christ, lock, stock and barrel, you should be enjoying boldness and access with confidence to God because He's your father. Things have been made right. Yes, you can do things to grieve the Spirit, which disturbs your sense of that.

You can do things to quench the Spirit, which disturbs your sense of that. But The reality is that you have become a son or daughter because of Jesus' work. You were meant to enjoy boldness and access with confidence. Listen to what John Calvin says. John Calvin says, John Calvin says, Wicked men seek rest in forgetfulness of God, and are never at ease, but when they are removed to the greatest possible distance from God.

His own children differ from them in this respect, that they have peace with God, Romans 5.1, and approach to Him with cheerfulness and delight. That is such a helpful description. Outside of Christ, you seek to be at the greatest distance because of the things that your conscience tells you, that things are not right between you and God. But in Christ you have this boldness and this access with confidence that brings you to Him, draws you to Him, so that you can approach Him with cheerfulness and delight. So far are you from removing yourself from God, lest you be terrified by this Judge.

You come before Him with cheerfulness and delight. You relish coming to Him. Friends I hope you know something of this. Jesus died that you would know something of this. Jesus shed his blood to put things right between the believer and God so that you would know something of this.

I remember a very boring ninth grade U.S. Government class, Mrs. Harris. I'm confident she doesn't listen to the sermons online. It was Mrs.

Harris's class and it was dreadfully boring. It occurred to me one day, I was born again and I was happy in Jesus and in my ninth grade boring US government class it occurred to me that I can have fellowship with my father right now. Instead of listening. I just checked out and worshiped God in my heart right there. I approached him with cheerfulness and delight right there in US government class.

That doesn't speak well of me as a student, but Do you know something of that? Do you know of being able to approach Him with cheerfulness and delight any time? You are welcome any time. There is a boldness and an access with confidence that Jesus bled and died to purchase for His people. Oh, what a shame if we should entrust ourselves to Him and then not enjoy our privileges.

Finally, verse 13, Ephesians 3 verse 13, Paul concludes this section by saying this, Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is for your glory. Therefore, I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is for your glory." Because the truths of the gospel are so glorious, don't be discouraged by my tribulations, the pressures that I'm enduring. Because of These glories of the gospel, Paul makes a request, Don't lose heart even though I'm in jail for preaching the gospel. Don't lose heart even though my calling requires me to suffer. Listen to what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1 verse 6.

2 Corinthians 1 verse 6, the first part of the verse. Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation. He is talking about the men who are on the front lines bringing the gospel to these places that were being turned upside down by the gospel. When the gospel comes somewhere and turns it upside down, there must be opposition to that, there is a kingdom opposed to that. Paul says if we are afflicted it is for your consolation and salvation.

To him The price for the privilege was his sufferings, and he gladly paid that price. Listen to what he says in 2 Timothy 2 verse 10. 2 Timothy 2 verse 10 says, Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory." Paul considered it a privilege to suffer so that the gospel which had transformed him would also transform others from every tribe and tongue and people and nation." Paul considered that these momentary afflictions were not worthy to be compared with the glory that awaited believers. Friends, There is a glory in receiving something which is costly. Just think about that for a minute.

He says, Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. There is a glory in receiving something which is costly. Think of the blood of Jesus Christ. There is a glory in receiving something that is costly. Think of the sacrifices of Jesus' ambassadors since the founding of the Church.

In every generation for the last 20 centuries, there have been tremendous sacrifices made to get the gospel here to me. Think of the glory of receiving something which is costly. God's people are not an afterthought to Him. They are precious to Him. They are worth a high price to Him.

Applications, I'll give you three. Number one, Jesus sent Paul to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery. Do you see it? Jesus sent Paul to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, the glories of the gospel, of the good news of Jesus Christ making it to the farthest corner of the world. Do you see the fellowship of the mystery?

Does it move you? Believers can never hear the story too many times. They can never hear the story too often. It moves their hearts on the thousandth time. Unbelievers, as we work through these chapters and as Paul piles up the riches, I continue to pray that you would hunger for it, thirst for it.

The riches are so good, so deep, so sweet. Number two, pray for the health and vitality of the church. God's intent is that his wisdom would be vindicated, his wisdom would be displayed in the spiritual realm through the church, through the growth of the Church, the sustaining of the Church, the advancing of the Church. Oh, pray for the health and vitality of the Church. We're coming to chapters 4 through 6, and I think Paul is actually going to tell us how we can be healthy and full of life.

A believer should have a burning desire to be healthy and full of life, so that the wisdom of God would be vindicated in saving me, in transforming me. Saving me, in transforming me. Number three, enjoy the boldness and access with confidence that is in Christ. The beginning of that verse starts with in Christ and ends with through faith in Jesus. In verse 12, in whom in Christ we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.

Jesus is everything in this text. It all happens or doesn't happen. It's acquired or not acquired based on whether you're joined with Christ by faith or not. It's all there, the present possession of the believer, and None of it is the property of the unbeliever. The difference between, there's only two doors and the difference between them is so stark.

Let's pray. God, what a sweet thought that every blood-bought saint has a right to boldness and access with confidence through faith in Christ. These truths make me want to just entrust myself to you more wholeheartedly. I do want it to be true of me that I have entrusted myself to you, Lock, Stock and Barrel. All that I am, I thank you for the work of Jesus Christ that makes peace, that causes us to approach you with cheerfulness and with delight.

We enjoy this and pray In Jesus' name, amen.