HOLY BOLDNESS I
Prov 28:1 The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
Acts 4:13 KJV 13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
Acts 4:13-14 NIV 13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
Acts 4:29-31 KJV 29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, 30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. 31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
Boldness is Something Desired by almost all Christians. Frequently, you hear Christians Pray for Boldness. That is Scriptural, as we see in Acts 4. These First Believers in the Early Church Prayed for Boldness and God Answered in a Mighty Way. The Whole Building Shook with the Power of God, they were All Filled with the Holy Spirit, and they Spoke the Word of God with Boldness.
Acts 4:33 NIV 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. God gave them Great Power through the Holy Spirit.
I. THE OPPOSITE OF BOLDNESS IS FEAR. Text : The wicked flee when no man pursueth… Ungodly People are so Bound by Fear, they Run in Terror even when No One is Chasing them. One Important Fact about Sin è Sin Kills. Rom. 6:23 The Wages of Sin are Death. Sin Kills in Many Areas. Sin Kills Boldness, Confidence, Assurance. When Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden, his First Reaction was Fear, and he Hid himself. All through the Bible you see a connection between Sin and Fear. It is Impossible to be Bold in the Lord if you Have Unconfessed Sin in your life è It will Destroy your Desire to Witness and Share Christ with people. It will Destroy your Confidence in Prayer. Sin will Rob you of Peace and Joy.
II. THE FOUNDATION OF BOLDNESS IS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Righteousness means to Have your Heart RIGHT with God. Many people miss-understand righteousness and think it means doing good deeds.
Some Christians get confused because they have heard someone say “Our righteousness is as filthy rags.” Does the Bible say that? Yes. But we must not take it out of context. A text, taken out of context, becomes a pretext.
Isa 64:6. But who is it talking about? Christians walking in the light of Christ??? No! It is speaking about a people who are taken away with sin and iniquity. They do not call on the Lord, and God hides His face from them. It is inappropriate to try to apply this verse to Christian believers who are walking with the Lord Jesus Christ!!!
Question: Are you righteous??? If you have Never Received Christ into your life you are NOT Right with God, and you Need to Get Saved.
Rom 5:17 KJV 17 For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the GIFT of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) [Not Achieve]
Rom 5:19 KJV 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
So we See that Righteousness is a GIFT we Receive when we Get Saved. Righteousness is Not what you Earn, It is What you Receive as a Gift from Christ. If you have been Born – Again, Saved, then , According to the Bible You Have received the Gift of Righteousness. It is Not because you have Kept the Law or never sinned, It is Because Christ Jesus Gave you His Righteousness. You Cannot Buy it with Money, Neither can you Earn it through Self-Effort or Religious Works. Righteousness is a Gift that All Christians Receive from the Lord the Moment they Trust Christ for Salvation.
Righteousnes means Right Standing with God. You Stand before God Forgiven, Cleansed from all Sin & Freed from all Guilt and Inferiority and Fear that follows that Sin. All your Sins have been Washed Away by the Precious Blood of Jesus and the Devil has Nothing to Accuse you of.
It is Knowing these Glorious Facts about Salvation and Understanding Righteousness that Gives you Boldness in the Lord!!!
III. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE “BOLD AS A LION”? I want to Share with you Four Qualities or Aspects of Holy Boldness:
1) Confidence. Not Arrogance. Not Self-Assurance. Our Confidence Must Be In Christ and His Ability Not in Ourselves and Our Own Ability.
Phil 4:13 KJV I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Phil 4:13 TLB 3 for I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power. With Christ as your Strength, you Can Do ALL things. He Gives you the Desire and the Ability to Obey Him and Do His Will. Bold Christians are “Can Do” People. They’re Not Looking for Reasons Things Can’t be Done. They Look for Ways to GET things Done.
2) Courage. Many Bible Characters Exhibited Great Courage in their Walk with God. The Prophet Elijah, Daniel, 3 Hebrew men in the King’s Furnace. Peter, John, and Paul in the N.T. The Story of Joshua and Caleb at the Promised Land has always Blessed me. Moses had Sent the 12 Spies into the Land of Caanan on a Recon Mission. 40 Days later, When they Returned, 10 of the Spies Gave what God called an “Evil Report.” The Ten were Afraid. They said the people there are too Strong for us è They are Giants and we are Grasshoppers in their sight. Joshua and Caleb said, “Let’s Go Up at Once and Possess the Land, for we are Well Able to Overcome it.”
God said, Num 14:24 NIV 24 But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.
And What about Joshua??? He Boldly Led the Nation of Israel into Battle to Possess the Land. Josh 1:8-9 NIV Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
3) Fearlessness. 2 Tim 1:6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. When the Spirit of God is Stirred Up and Activated within you, You Can Live Free From Fear.
According to Psalm 91, You Dwell in the Secret Place of the Most High God And Abide Under the Shadow of the Almighty. His Truth is your Shield and Buckler. He is your Refuge and Fortress and He Covers you with His Wings. He Gives His Angels Charge over you and He Keeps you in All your Ways. You Tread Upon Lions and Adders and Trample the Dragon under your Feet. Luke 10:19 19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
4) Daring. Daring Means you Don’t Hesitate, You are Quick to Obey God. You are Quick to Act on His Word and Do what God says to Do.
Consider Gideon è When we first see him he is In Hiding, Threshing wheat. He is a Mere Shell of a man, Full of Fear and Trembling. But God Saw him with the Eye of Faith, and Sent an Angel to Encourage him. è The Angel appeared unto Gideon and said, O Gideon, You are Mighty Man of Valor, and the Lord is With You. Gideon Dared to Believe God, the Spirit of the Lord Came Upon him, and God Worked a Mighty Deliverance for the Nation. Gideon DARED to Believe God.
How many of you Know that All things are Possible with God????? Mark 10:27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
The Same Bible Declares that All things are Possible to the one who Believes. Mark 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Holy Boldness è It is NOT Arrogance or Boasting. It is NOT Bragging on Yourself. James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Holy Boldness will ONLY OPERATE within the Framework of LOVE and HUMILITY. To be Great in God’s Kingdom, you Must First Be a SERVANT.
