Amazing Boldness
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We are starting a series today I have called Be Bold. It is based on God’s promise to Joshua in Chapter 1:9. It’s the basis for a book titled, Sun Stand Still. It’s the foundation to what I wanted to share with you as we begin this journey together.
Now you may or may not remember Joshua, he was the one who took over after Moses. You remember Moses led the people around in the desert for 40 years until a generation passed away and then Joshua was to lead the people into the promised land.
After God command him to go, he gave him these words of assurance. I’m reading from the Message translation:
All your life, no one will be able to hold out against you. In the same way I was with Moses, I’ll be with you. I won’t give up on you; I won’t leave you.
Strength! Courage! You are going to lead this people to inherit the land that I promised to give their ancestors.
Give it everything you have, heart and soul. Make sure you carry out The Revelation that Moses commanded you, every bit of it. Don’t get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you’re going.
And don’t for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you’ll get where you’re going; then you’ll succeed.
Haven’t I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take.”
Joshua 1:5-9
Joshua lived with amazing boldness.
Oh that this will be our story.
Ask someone to pray
I believe boldness comes completely natural to us, unfortunately we often misunderstand it. What I am talking about by Boldness.
Bold (παρρησία): Outspoken, frankness, plainness; openness to the public; courage, confidence, boldness, fearlessness.
Bold (παρρησία): Outspoken, frankness, plainness; openness to the public; courage, confidence, boldness, fearlessness.
παρρησία: Outspoken, frankness, plainness; openness to the public; courage, confidence, boldness, fearlessness.
παρρησία: Outspoken, frankness, plainness; openness to the public; courage, confidence, boldness, fearlessness.
You can sum all those up in the phrase:
Outspoken, frankness, plainness; openness to the public; courage, confidence, boldness, fearlessness.
Being willing to do what others won’t.
Being willing to do what others won’t.
Many times in my life, I did what others weren’t willing to do.
I remember one time, when my brother and his friends were over, I wanted to impress them, so we went to the drug store and I volunteered to distract the clerk so they could steal candy.
I remember one time, when my brother and his friends were over, I wanted to impress them, so we went to the drug store and I volunteered to distract the clerk so they could steal candy.
I remember being bold enough to be the distraction in order to help my brother and his friends when I was little, but old enough to know better, to steal candy from a store.
Some people would think of that as boldness.
Actually it wasn't bold at all.
My friends thought that was bold.
Actually it wasn't bold at all.
I did it out of fear. I feared being rejected, you see, I knew I wasn't good enough. I wasn’t rich enough, athletic enough, or cool enough so I would do anything I could to fit in.
I wanted to be accepted, and I believed I wouldn’t unless I did what others wanted.
Acting on these false beliefs is not God’s design for boldness.
Think about it. Think about if your pastor did things motivated by a desire to impress his or her congregation.
They would preach on things that were always nice to hear, they would never ask us to get uncomfortable for the sake of others, they might just work themselves to exhaustion wanting to make you happy.
That may be your story too. More than likely, you too made many decisions just like me because of the influence of others, only to realize later that God’s opinion was more important. Some of you may be living that way today, still trying to be accepted, still trying to live into a false belief you have about yourself that you aren’t good enough, you aren’t rich enough, powerful enough, good enough of a mom, husband, wife, dad. Good enough of a Christian.
I was bold enough to do silly things in order to get attention.
I was bold enough to take risks that others wouldn’t take.
For me it was born our of a belief that I wouldn’t be accepted unless I did what others wanted.
That may be your story too. More than likely, you too made many decisions just like me because of the influence of others, only to realize later that God’s opinion was more important. Some of you may be living that way today, still trying to be accepted, still trying to live into a false belief you have about yourself that you aren’t good enough, you aren’t rich enough, powerful enough, good enough of a mom, husband, wife, dad. Good enough of a Christian.
This is not God’s design for boldness.
Think about it. Think about if your pastor did things motivated by a desire to impress his or her congregation.
Think about it. Think about if your pastor did things motivated by a desire to impress his or her congregation.
Go talk to them…For me it was born our of a belief that I wouldn’t be accepted any other way.
They would preach on things that were always nice to hear, they would never ask us to get uncomfortable for the sake of others, they might just work themselves to exhaustion wanting to make you happy.
But God’s design for us to be truly bold is different.
It is true that....
Being willing to do what others won’t.
Bold
Bold
παρρησία: a state of boldness and confidence, sometimes implying intimidating circumstances—‘boldness, courage.
Outspoken, frankness, plainness; openness to the public; courage, confidence, boldness, fearlessness.
outspokenness, frankness, plainness
openness to the public,
a state of boldness and confidence, courage, confidence, boldness, fearlessness,
Over these last 4 weeks I have worked to introduce myself and tell why I think your church is special. I Love THIS Church, I’m sure you do too. But our love is to extend beyond THIS church to God’s church, including every other church around because they are part of our WHO: The family of God. And as God’s children, those redeemed and saved, we have two very important things in common, we shares our WHY: JESUS and we share our HOW: The Holy Spirit. You might say those two are the same thing, God; and you would be correct. Everything we are and everything we will become is for God’s glory.
That’s where I want to begin this next series. Talking about our WHAT. What we do as a church, as children of God.
Bold behaviors are born out of belief
Bold behaviors are born out of belief
This is simply a fact; hear me now:
We will do what others won’t, when we believe what others don’t.
We do what others wont, when we believe what others don’t.
I saw this movie the other day Hacksaw Ridge. the main character in the movie Private Doss was an unarmed medic in Okinawa. In one battle he saved i think it was 75 people single handedly. It was an amazing story of how he stayed in the fight and did what no one else would have done, because he believed he was called to it like no one else.
It was an amazing story of amazing boldness.
You name it, I would do it for a laugh, for attention, or to belong.
But now things are different. Now I understand who God is, my boldness comes out of the relationship I have with Jesus. It flows from the promises I hold from God.
Over the next 4 weeks we are going to look at different areas of life for Christians that are affected by our beliefs. How we might be bold in our dealings with people and with God. We are going to talk about boldness in prayer, witnessing, obedience.
We are going to spend this time looking at the early church, specifically Peter and John in .
Let me explain what has been happening. Jesus was crucified, and resurrected. He told the Disciples to wait until Holy Spirit came to help them be His messengers. That’s just what they did.
But once Holy Spirit came, everything changed. They went out to preach and heal. On one of their travels, Peter and John came upon a beggar who couldn’t walk and they healed him. The Sadducees saw this and heard them preaching about the resurrection of Jesus and got angry because the Sadducees were sad you see they didn’t believe in the resurrection. But while Peter and John taught some 5000 were added to the church.
The next day, the Sadducees put them on trial, and that’s where we pick up today, Peter answering the charge, by what power or in what name did you do all this?
Would you read it with me?
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is
“ ‘the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the capstone.’
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
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.
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people!
If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed,
then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.
He is “ ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.’
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
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.
But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say.
So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together.
“What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it.
But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name.”
Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God.
For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened.
For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.
Acts 4:
Acts 4:8-2
Amazing boldness. I want to point out just a couple of things from this story today.
First I want us to hear that:
GOD MAKES THE ORDINARY EXTRAORDINARY.
GOD MAKES THE ORDINARY EXTRAORDINARY.
You heard it right in the text from the Sadducees.
GOD MAKES THE ORDINARY EXTRAORDINARY.
GOD MAKES THE ORDINARY EXTRAORDINARY.
…They (The leaders) could see that they (Peter and John) were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures... NLT
…They (The leaders) could see that they (Peter and John) were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures... NLT
You have probably thought that about yourself. I know I have certainly thought it about myself. Who am I? I don’t know enough. I can’t preach like him. I can’t lead like her. Who am I? Who are you?
What do we think we are trying to do here…make disciples and change the world? Silly.
Throughout the Scriptures God used ordinary people and things for His extraordinary purpose. that’s how God works.
You don’t have to be a pastor to live boldly. You can be a Mature Xian, Stay home mom, Student, Reg guy
There are as many ways to be bold as there are different kinds of people.
Walk away from a fight * Dress modestly * Don’t sleep around * Read bible * Don’t do deal * Don’t go to movie
Walk away from a fight * Dress modestly * Don’t sleep around
Read bible * Don’t do deal * Don’t go to movie * Give car You can be faithful husband who refuses to flirt. You can be the business owner who doesn’t fudge the numbers. You can be the wife that choses her family over You can be a student who doesn't’ cut corners. You can be a single person who decides that purity is worth the sacrifice. You can be
We can all live boldly, because it is God that does the extraordinary with the ordinary.
Without even leaving that verse we see the result of true boldness at work in ordinary people.
ponse to this kind of sad, weak, poor thinking.
GOD GIVEN BOLDNESS WILL AMAZE THE WORLD.
GOD GIVEN BOLDNESS WILL AMAZE THE WORLD.
What amazed the leaders was WHO this was…not what they were doing. They were amazed because it was Peter and John.
The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John... NLT
The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John... NLT
The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.
NLT
NLT
I have a friend. She was diagnosed with stomach cancer a couple years ago. Stomach cancer is something that people don’t live long with. It’s aggressive and hard to treat. Normally the treatments are very difficult. Surgeries on top of the normal chemo and radiation. If you have ever had your mid section opened up, you know that it makes moving in any way painful.
My friend though, still in the faith is doing so with amazing boldness. She lives with a smile on her face. She tells people daily that she has been healed but her doctors haven’t found out yet. She teaches Sunday school every week, and works with special needs kids. They open their home every Wednesday night so their neighbors can come for dinner and spend time together. She is one of those people who is always telling people about Jesus and what he has done in her life. I believe she lives every moment of her life for the Glory of God, regardless of her circumstances. I am constantly amazed by her boldness.
On a scale of 1-10, I would have no problem rating her boldness, at a 9.
What would people say about you if they were asked?
HOW AMAZED ARE PEOPLE BY YOUR BOLDNESS? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
HOW AMAZED ARE PEOPLE BY YOUR BOLDNESS? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
I don’t put this up to make us feel bad. I just want us to realize how important spiritual boldness is. Our boldness actually effects how other people see Jesus. When I look at my friend, and hear stories of her taking life head on, no matter her circumstances, and this helps me believe. It helps me believe that God is real, that his promises are real; that this new life Jesus talks about in scripture is possible, that this eternal life we are promised is going to happen. It makes me want it. I want to give my life for it.
I want us to be that inspiration for others. I want to inspire others to act boldly on what they know about God, but …
SPIRITUAL BOLDNESS STARTS WITH KNOWING CHRIST.
SPIRITUAL BOLDNESS STARTS WITH KNOWING CHRIST.
SPIRITUAL BOLDNESS STARTS WITH KNOWING CHRIST.
SPIRITUAL BOLDNESS STARTS WITH KNOWING CHRIST.
while we might be able to encourage others to live boldly, it all starts with Jesus.
.
Knowing Christ.
Time with Jesus builds your faith; which leads to boldness that produces spiritual results.
“We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.” NLT
“We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.” NLT
NLT
NLT
Think about all they had seen and heard. All the parables explained. All the miraculous healings. All the lives changed. All the love poured out.
These two men were bold because they KNEW Jesus. They really knew him, personally. It wasn’t just a memory of a friend who had died or moved out of town. Jesus was the Lord of their life, he was in charge.
Time with Jesus builds your faith; which leads to boldness that produces spiritual results.
That’s what you have on the back of your bulletin,
KNOWING, GROWING, LOVING, LIVING.
KNOWING, GROWING, LOVING, LIVING.
Knowing Christ, and what he has done for you leads you to grow in Christ.
Growing in Christ, begins to shape your behavior as we start to love like Jesus.
As we love like Jesus, at first out of obedience, we begin to experience sanctification; God changing us, until we then begin to LIVE in Christ.
Living in Christ, is the goal of our lives.
The Bible teaches that for us who are In Christ...
There is no condemnation for us ()
We can never be separated from God’s love ()
We who are many form one body ()
We have wisdom from God ()
Our labor is not in vain ()
We are a new creation ()
We become God’s children ()
We have every spiritual blessing ()
We have the forgiveness of sins ()
We were also chosen ()
You see Jesus is the goal, being in relationship with Him. One of the benefits is boldness.
We have been seated in the heavenly realms ()
We’ve been given the incomparable riches of God’s grace ()
We who were once far away have been brought near ()
We are built together as a holy building ()
We may approach God with freedom and confidence ()
Coming to understand what God has done on our behalf, enables us to act boldly for God's glory.
We are light ()
Our joy overflows ()
All our needs are met according to his glorious riches ()
Some folks act boldly because they think they are responsible for all the power and influence they have. That’s the opposite of spiritual boldness, that is arrogance. Arrogance is based on pride, spiritual boldness is based on humility. That we get to live because Jesus gave us life.
We are holy and faithful ()
Would you like to move from living out of fear or out of arrogance? You can live with true God given spiritual boldness in your life? It starts with Knowing Jesus, then to grow into that relationship.
All things hold together ()
We have our hope of glory ()
Because He
We become fully mature ()
Are hidden all treasures of wisdom and knowledge for us ()
We are rooted and built up ()
We have been given the fullness of the deity ()
We come into reality ()
Our life is now hidden ()
We will rise from the dead ()
We can give thanks in all circumstances ()
We have faith, hope, and love (, )
We can gain an excellent standing and great assurance ()
We have the promise of life ()
Would you like to live with this sort of boldness in your life? It starts with Knowing Jesus, then to begin grow into that relationship.
Be BOLD
Be BOLD