Access Unto The Father

Ep. 2:18 Ephesians 1 & 2

Pastor Albert N. Martin expounds Ephesians 2:18, 'For through him we both have our access in one Spirit unto the Father,' arguing that access to God as Father is the highest privilege of biblical salvation. He identifies the Father as the sovereign, glorious God of chapter 1 of Ephesians, contrasting this with humanity's native state as children of wrath. Martin then details the present privileges of this access: confidence in God's unreserved acceptance, unchanging love, and immutable purpose, all secured through Christ's mediation and the Spirit's ministration. He applies this by urging believers to honor Christ and depend on the Spirit for continued access, while warning unbelievers of God's present wrath apart from Christ.

2 illustrations in this sermon

Introduction: The Proof of Peace in Access to the Father

lightbulb example

Simon and Demetrius

In this part of the sermon: Pastor Martin introduces Ephesians 2:11-18, highlighting Paul's amazement at salvation and the contrast between Jew and Gentile. He establishes verse 18 as the proof of the peace…

The example of Simon (Jewish background) and Demetrius (pagan background) at Ephesus enjoying individual and corporate access to God illustrates the reality of the peace Paul is describing, proving that Jew and Gentile can come to God in sonship.

And the proof is that there are Jews and Gentiles who, by the animation of the one Spirit, through the mediation of the one mediator Christ, are actually enjoying access unto the one God who is revealed as Father. And so last Lord's Day I attempted at least to begin to open up verse 18, verse 18, we looked at the text in its setting, and in its setting, in its connection of thought, it is a simple but wonderful statement of the proof of the reality of the peace that Paul is talking about. There at Ephesus, and we focused it all upon Simon and Demetrius, these specimen men, and the very fact th...

4:39 - 6:04 Read in full sermon

Present Privileges of Access: Confidence in Acceptance, Love, and Purpose

compare analogy

John-John Kennedy's Access to His Father

The point: If you've cast yourself upon Christ and He is your only plea, it is a shameful thing to doubt His unreserved acceptance.

The story of John-John Kennedy freely entering the Oval Office, bypassing protocol, because the President was 'my daddy,' illustrates the confidence and unreserved acceptance believers have in approaching God as Father through Christ, contrasting it with the fear of dignitaries.

by Him let us with bold but you say God is so holy ah He is God is so majestic He is with blazing light of holiness and spotless purity but you have access through Christ and I could not help but think of the days of the Kennedy administration and this in no way is either an oblique or an overt approval of the man or the administration I'm simply illustrating and here were dignitaries who if they wanted access to the oval room into the working office of the president oh they had to go through all kinds of protocol and security checks and the rest and they said it was very humorous at times in ...

36:13 - 37:42 Read in full sermon

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