Confidence: Boldness
Alexander Galvez
Confidence • Sermon • Submitted
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Confidence Series
We live in a world where nothing seems to firm. Everything changes. And with these changes in society, we find that there are challenges that we never had to deal with before. You think about it in multiple realms, from the political sphere. It used to be that whenever a candidate was running for office, they would appeal to the mighty middle. Because those in the middle were the majority. But recently, and quite dramatically, we see that they are no longer spreading their net, so to speak for the middle, but to the outer fringes. Appealing to those of the gender and sexual revolution, even though it is a very small minority in America.
You can think about in the sphere of morality, as we touched on a bit ago. You can think about the tv programming, commercials, and songs that are out there now. Our educational systems are cowering to the change and bowing down as well. And what are we to do?
1) Do we concede to their demands and just surrender? That seems to be the strategy of some. They say, well there is nothing we can do about it and so they just give up and no longer try and voice their opinions on the matter. They no longer stand firm for the truths that they once held dearly to.
2) Do we conform to what they are asking? Unfortunately, there are many who do this in the church as well. Many pastors and theologians and denominations who say. “well if you cannot beat them, join them.” Rob Bell put it, “I think the culture is already there and the church will continue to be even more irrelevant when it quotes letters from two thousand years ago as their best defense.”
3) Or do we remain confident in what God has said? Do we trust what God has said? Do we desire God’s glory and honor more than our own?
Confidence is much more than a silent resolve. A person who is confident knows the truth and certainty about something and nothing can change their minds.
We need more men and women with confidence. A great need in the church is people with firm beliefs and trust in what God has spoken. We need confidence.
And so, I want to encourage all of you as we go through this series on confidence to really examine your lives and see where you are lacking. You may think, well I am not a timid person. I am bold. Well, that may be the case, but I am not talking about it in general terms, I am speaking about a godly confidence. One that matters and will echo into eternity. I am talking about being confident in the right things. Because I am sure that I can speak to some of you about various different things and you will not hesitate in carrying on the conversation, but if I were to challenge you in your faith, how confident would you be? If someone outside of the church were to challenge you, how confident would you be?
I go running a lot. In the past month, I have accumulated over 250 miles and sometimes when you run in the neighborhood or park, you encounter a beast. This beast no matter the size will defend it’s property and it will make a lot of noise. This ferocious beast will…bark. Yes, I am talking about a dog. A dog will yap and bark and chase you by the fence causing a huge ruckus. And no matter the size of the dog, they are fairly confident that they can take you down. Even the smallest little thing will try and get you.
I say all this because I am hoping that everytime you think about a dog or hear a dog bark, you will remember the principles we are going to be walking through in this series. I want you to think BARK.
Boldness in the Proclamation of the Gospel
Assurance of Christ’s Work on the cross
Resolve to stand firm for the truth
Keep trusting in God
Boldness in the Proclamation of the Gospel
This is where we will spend our morning together on.
Assurance of Christ’s Work on the cross
We will look to what Christ has done and what that means for us. We will also look at what that looked like in practice by looking to the life of the disciples.
Resolve to stand firm for the truth
That week, we will examine several heroes of the faith who had a resolve to stand firm for the truth even though it was not particularly favorable for them. We will also reflect on how those who stood firm for the truth have kept the faith so that we may be blessed by their labors.
Keep trusting in God
Finally, we are going to see that we do not confidence in ourselves. But in the God who is sovereign. He is God and He is not one to be trifled with. Too many times, we are overly confident in ourselves and we try to usurp Him and to take His place. No, He is God. We are not. And so we serve Him faithfully knowing that we serve an almighty God and we can trust in Him.
Boldness in the Proclamation of the Gospel
We are to be a confident people. Why though? With all the changes in the world, why is it that we can be confident. Especially nowadays, when we may feel at times like the minority on certain issues. When it comes to the origin of life and the creation of all things, we are silenced in many ways. When it comes to gender and sexuality, we are criticized. As crazy as it seems, in today’s post-modern culture, even our firm hold on truth being truth, we are resented. For your truth is your truth and you should not try and commit your truth to anyone else. Truth is relative they say.
Why is it that we can have boldness to proclaim the Gospel. Well in an eschatological sense, we are not worried about the sky falling. We are not like chicken little running from the clouds, we know that our God is coming again and so we can live with confidence. This is not the end. We know that this flesh and this world will pass away, but we are not living for this world.
Additionally, we know that God’s word is truth. No matter how much they speak against it, it does not remove the fact that it is true. Like denying gravity or that fire burns or that water is wet, it is foolishness to think otherwise.
Gerald Borchert said….
Christianity is not a mere religion humans practice; it is a confident way of living based on what God has done in Christ. But Christian confidence does not mean that Christians cease to be human or lack human characteristics. Even Paul went through periods of discouragement when his troubles were almost unbearable (2 Cor. 1:8). But the resurrection of Jesus provides the key throughout life that confidence is based not on ourselves or our activity but on God who can raise the dead and give us the capacity to face adversity (2 Cor. 1:9–10).
Gerald L. Borchert[1]
And it is because of this that we have boldness in proclaiming the Gospel. We know that everyone will go on into eternity and it is our deepest desire that all will come to know Christ. But we also have a boldness knowing that Christ is with us.
Matthew 28:19-20 “19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the age.”
Christ is with us. Always. And so we are not timid. We do not fear. We can be bold. We can have confidence because we know that the message we preach is a message that is true and that it carries with it the power of God.
And so that is key. We have boldness because we know that God’s word is true.
Psalm 119:160
The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.
2 Samuel 7:28 s
"Now, O Lord GOD, You are God, and Your words are truth, and You have promised this good thing to Your servant.
John 17:17
"Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.
Psalm 119:151
You are near, O LORD, And all Your commandments are truth.
Psalm 119:142
Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law is truth.
Ephesians 1:13
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
Colossians 1:5
because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel
2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
We can preach boldly because we know that God’s word is not a lie. We are not committing ourselves to something that is false. Nobody gets so impassioned for something that is false. That would be crazy! Like someone running around claiming that they have the power to fly. Just saying things does not make it real. Even if you believe it so much. But we are not pitied to be fools for God’s word is true.
Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever”
It is a word that is true, but it is also a word that has power.
Romans 1:16 tells us “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.”
Our message is powerful. Not only is it powerful in itself, but it also comes from the most powerful one. It is God’s power, not our own. We are limited and if it were in our own power it would be effective for some and not for others. But since it bears the power of God, it does not return void, but always accomplishes its purpose. It has the power to save all who believe. So we do not need to worry about what it is that we are going to say, we speak the Gospel with love and sincerity and concern for each person and we pray and believe God’s will will be done.
But not only is it true, not only does it have power, but it also is a treasure that we have
2 Timothy 1:12-14 “12 for which reason also I suffer these things. But I am not ashamed, because I know in whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted until that day. 13 Hold fast to the pattern of sound words which you heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good deposit through the Holy Spirit who lives in us.”
We have been entrusted with a great deposit.
2 Corinthians 4:1-7
Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God,[a] we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice[b] cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants[c] for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Treasure in Jars of Clay
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
It is the power of the Gospel that illuminates to us the knowledge of the Glory of God. We have this great knowledge and what else can we do? To come face to face with God. To know that we are justified in His sight and that we have all the permissions and authority of a son and daughter of the living God what else can we do but obey? But proclaim the great message that we have been entrusted with.
Conclusion
Hold fast to God’s word and live with confidence. Be bold in your proclamation of the Gospel. It is a message that is true. A message that has power and a message that is so valuable and not one that is just for us, but for all.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4
[1] Borchert, G. L. (1996). Confidence. In Evangelical dictionary of biblical theology (electronic ed., p. 113). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.