Our Boldness
Boldness is being out spoken, frankness, daring, confident, courageous.
Our boldness must be grounded in the finish work of Jesus Christ. Paul writes to
the Philippians (Philippians 1:6) “being confident of this very thing, that He which
has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. He
understood that God says that He will never leave us or forsake us. And in
Philippians 1:20 he says “according to my earnest expectation and my hope, that
in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also
Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life; or by death”.
Proverbs 28:1 says “the wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are
bold as a lion”.
Our boldness can be seen by others. After Peter and John had spoken to the man
lame from birth at the gate Beautiful (Acts 3:6-8) “then Peter said, silver and gold
have I none, but such as I have give I you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth
rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up; and
immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood,
and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and
praising God”. They were questioned (Acts 4:7-10) “and when they had set them
in the midst, they asked, by what power or by what name, have you done this?
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, you rulers of the people, and
elders of Israel. If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent
man, by what means he is made whole. Be it known to you all, and to all the
people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified,
whom God raised from the dead, even by Him does this man stand here before
you whole”. And in verse 13 it says “now when they saw the boldness of Peter and
John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled;
and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus”. But after
conferring with each other, they told Peter and John not to speak anymore in that
name, and being let go, they went to their own company.
The early disciples prayed for boldness (Acts 4:29-31) “and now, Lord, behold
their threatenings; and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may
speak Your word. By stretching forth Your hand to heal, and that signs and
wonders may be done by the name of Your hold child Jesus. And when they had
prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were
all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness”. Paul
asked the church in Ephesians to pray that he would speak the gospel with
boldness (Ephesians 6:19-20) “and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that
I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel. For which I
am an ambassador in bonds; that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak”.
Our boldness comes from faith in Jesus; and Paul prayed for the Ephesians in
(Ephesians 3:12-19) “in whom we have boldness and access with confidence by
the faith of Him. Wherefore I desire that you faint not at my tribulations for you,
which is your glory. For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. That He would
grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His
Spirit in the inner man. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that you,
being rooted and grounded in love. May be able to comprehend with all saints,
what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height. And to know the love of
Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of
God”.
Because of what Jesus has done, we are told to have boldness (Hebrews 4:14,16)
“seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens,
Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. Let us therefore come
boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help I
time of need”. In Hebrews 10:19-23) the writer goes on to say “having therefore,
brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. By a new and
living way, which He has consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His
flesh. And having an high priest over the house of God. Let us draw near with a
true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the
profession of our faith without wavering; for He is faithful that promised”. We can
be bold because we belong to Jesus, and are not to be afraid of man (Hebrews 13:
5-6) says “let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with
such things as you have; for He has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you.
So that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall
do to me”. Also in Romans 8:31 it says “what shall we then say to these things? If
God be for us, who can be against us”?
God wants us to use our boldness to reach out for the lost, because He does not
want any to perish (I Timothy 2:1-4) “I exhort therefore, that first of all,
supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men.
For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable
life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of
God our Savior. Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge
of the truth”.
Lets look throughout scriptures and see some who used their boldness and it
pleased God. Abraham came to God and he pleaded boldly for the righteous
people of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:20-33). The cry had come up to
God concerning the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah, and He had come down
to see if it was so, and God was going to destroy these cities, but Abraham asked
God “will You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Perhaps there be fifty
righteous inside the city; will You also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty
righteous that are therein? That be far from You to do after this manner, to slay
the righteous with the wicked; and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that
be far from You. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? And the Lord said, if
I find in Sodom fifty righteous inside the city, then I will spare, all the place for their
sakes. Abraham continued to speak with God and goes from 50 down to 45, and
he continued until he got down to ten, however there was not ten righteous people
in that city and God destroyed it.
Moses pleaded for the Israelites when they made the image of gold and bowed
down to it (Exodus 32:1-4, 7-12) “and when the people saw that Moses delayed to
come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron,
and said to him, up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses,
the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become
of him. And Aaron said to them, break off the golden earrings, which are in the
ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them to me.
And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and
brought them to Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned t with a
graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf; and they said, these be your gods,
O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt. And the Lord Yahweh said
to Moses, go, get you down; for your people, which you brought out of the land of
Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way
which I commanded them; they have made them a molten calf; and have worshiped
it, and have sacrificed thereto, and said, these be your gods, O Israel, which have
brought you up out of the land of Egypt. And the Lord Yahweh said to Moses, I
have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people. Now therefore let
Me alone; that My wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them;
and I will make of you a great nation. And Moses besought the Lord Yahweh his
God, and said, Lord Yahweh, why does Your wrath wax hot against Your people,
which You have brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a
mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, for mischief did He
bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face
of the earth? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against Your
people”. Moses reminded God of His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The Lord Yahweh speaks in Ezekiel 22:29-31 “the people of the land have used
oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy; yea, they
have oppressed the stranger wrongfully. And I sought for a man among them, that
should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before Me, for the land, that I
should not destroy it, but I found none. Therefore have I poured out My
indignation upon them, I have consumed them with the fire of My anger; their own
way have I recompensed upon their heads, says the Lord Yahweh God”. You see
that God wants us to stand up for the lost.
Jesus tells us (John 14:13-14) “and whatsoever you shall ask in My name, that will I
do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you shall ask anything in My
name I will do it”. The apostle John writes in I John 5:14-15 “and this is the
confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He
hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatsoever we ask; we know that we
have the petitions that we desired of Him”. King Hezekiah got word that he was
going to die, and he reminded God of the way he walked before God (II Kings 20:1-
6) “in those days was Hezekiah sick to death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of
Amoz came to him, and said to him. Thus says the Lord Yahweh, set your house
in order; for you shall die, and not live. Then he turned his face to the wall, and
prayed to the Lord Yahweh, saying. I beseech You, O Lord Yahweh, remember
now how I have walked before You in truth and with a perfect heart; and have done
that which is good in Your sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. And it came to pass,
afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord Yahweh
came to him, saying. Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of My people.
Thus says the Lord Yahweh, the God of David, your father; I have heard your
prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you; on the third day you shall go
up to the house of the Lord Yahweh. And I will add to your days fifteen years; and
I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend
this city for My own sake, and for My servant David’s sake”.
We can ask for things for ourselves as well as for others. God tells us to bring Him
in remembrance of His word.
Revelations 12:11 says “and they overcome him (the devil) by the blood of the
Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives to the
death”.
Study by: Harriet Bond
Date: April 5, 2011
Boldness is being out spoken, frankness, daring, confident, courageous.
Our boldness must be grounded in the finish work of Jesus Christ. Paul writes to
the Philippians (Philippians 1:6) “being confident of this very thing, that He which
has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. He
understood that God says that He will never leave us or forsake us. And in
Philippians 1:20 he says “according to my earnest expectation and my hope, that
in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also
Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life; or by death”.
Proverbs 28:1 says “the wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are
bold as a lion”.
Our boldness can be seen by others. After Peter and John had spoken to the man
lame from birth at the gate Beautiful (Acts 3:6-8) “then Peter said, silver and gold
have I none, but such as I have give I you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth
rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up; and
immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood,
and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and
praising God”. They were questioned (Acts 4:7-10) “and when they had set them
in the midst, they asked, by what power or by what name, have you done this?
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, you rulers of the people, and
elders of Israel. If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent
man, by what means he is made whole. Be it known to you all, and to all the
people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified,
whom God raised from the dead, even by Him does this man stand here before
you whole”. And in verse 13 it says “now when they saw the boldness of Peter and
John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled;
and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus”. But after
conferring with each other, they told Peter and John not to speak anymore in that
name, and being let go, they went to their own company.
The early disciples prayed for boldness (Acts 4:29-31) “and now, Lord, behold
their threatenings; and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may
speak Your word. By stretching forth Your hand to heal, and that signs and
wonders may be done by the name of Your hold child Jesus. And when they had
prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were
all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness”. Paul
asked the church in Ephesians to pray that he would speak the gospel with
boldness (Ephesians 6:19-20) “and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that
I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel. For which I
am an ambassador in bonds; that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak”.
Our boldness comes from faith in Jesus; and Paul prayed for the Ephesians in
(Ephesians 3:12-19) “in whom we have boldness and access with confidence by
the faith of Him. Wherefore I desire that you faint not at my tribulations for you,
which is your glory. For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. That He would
grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His
Spirit in the inner man. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that you,
being rooted and grounded in love. May be able to comprehend with all saints,
what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height. And to know the love of
Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of
God”.
Because of what Jesus has done, we are told to have boldness (Hebrews 4:14,16)
“seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens,
Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. Let us therefore come
boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help I
time of need”. In Hebrews 10:19-23) the writer goes on to say “having therefore,
brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. By a new and
living way, which He has consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His
flesh. And having an high priest over the house of God. Let us draw near with a
true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the
profession of our faith without wavering; for He is faithful that promised”. We can
be bold because we belong to Jesus, and are not to be afraid of man (Hebrews 13:
5-6) says “let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with
such things as you have; for He has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you.
So that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall
do to me”. Also in Romans 8:31 it says “what shall we then say to these things? If
God be for us, who can be against us”?
God wants us to use our boldness to reach out for the lost, because He does not
want any to perish (I Timothy 2:1-4) “I exhort therefore, that first of all,
supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men.
For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable
life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of
God our Savior. Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge
of the truth”.
Lets look throughout scriptures and see some who used their boldness and it
pleased God. Abraham came to God and he pleaded boldly for the righteous
people of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:20-33). The cry had come up to
God concerning the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah, and He had come down
to see if it was so, and God was going to destroy these cities, but Abraham asked
God “will You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Perhaps there be fifty
righteous inside the city; will You also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty
righteous that are therein? That be far from You to do after this manner, to slay
the righteous with the wicked; and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that
be far from You. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? And the Lord said, if
I find in Sodom fifty righteous inside the city, then I will spare, all the place for their
sakes. Abraham continued to speak with God and goes from 50 down to 45, and
he continued until he got down to ten, however there was not ten righteous people
in that city and God destroyed it.
Moses pleaded for the Israelites when they made the image of gold and bowed
down to it (Exodus 32:1-4, 7-12) “and when the people saw that Moses delayed to
come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron,
and said to him, up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses,
the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become
of him. And Aaron said to them, break off the golden earrings, which are in the
ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them to me.
And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and
brought them to Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned t with a
graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf; and they said, these be your gods,
O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt. And the Lord Yahweh said
to Moses, go, get you down; for your people, which you brought out of the land of
Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way
which I commanded them; they have made them a molten calf; and have worshiped
it, and have sacrificed thereto, and said, these be your gods, O Israel, which have
brought you up out of the land of Egypt. And the Lord Yahweh said to Moses, I
have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people. Now therefore let
Me alone; that My wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them;
and I will make of you a great nation. And Moses besought the Lord Yahweh his
God, and said, Lord Yahweh, why does Your wrath wax hot against Your people,
which You have brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a
mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, for mischief did He
bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face
of the earth? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against Your
people”. Moses reminded God of His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The Lord Yahweh speaks in Ezekiel 22:29-31 “the people of the land have used
oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy; yea, they
have oppressed the stranger wrongfully. And I sought for a man among them, that
should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before Me, for the land, that I
should not destroy it, but I found none. Therefore have I poured out My
indignation upon them, I have consumed them with the fire of My anger; their own
way have I recompensed upon their heads, says the Lord Yahweh God”. You see
that God wants us to stand up for the lost.
Jesus tells us (John 14:13-14) “and whatsoever you shall ask in My name, that will I
do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you shall ask anything in My
name I will do it”. The apostle John writes in I John 5:14-15 “and this is the
confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He
hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatsoever we ask; we know that we
have the petitions that we desired of Him”. King Hezekiah got word that he was
going to die, and he reminded God of the way he walked before God (II Kings 20:1-
6) “in those days was Hezekiah sick to death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of
Amoz came to him, and said to him. Thus says the Lord Yahweh, set your house
in order; for you shall die, and not live. Then he turned his face to the wall, and
prayed to the Lord Yahweh, saying. I beseech You, O Lord Yahweh, remember
now how I have walked before You in truth and with a perfect heart; and have done
that which is good in Your sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. And it came to pass,
afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord Yahweh
came to him, saying. Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of My people.
Thus says the Lord Yahweh, the God of David, your father; I have heard your
prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you; on the third day you shall go
up to the house of the Lord Yahweh. And I will add to your days fifteen years; and
I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend
this city for My own sake, and for My servant David’s sake”.
We can ask for things for ourselves as well as for others. God tells us to bring Him
in remembrance of His word.
Revelations 12:11 says “and they overcome him (the devil) by the blood of the
Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives to the
death”.
Study by: Harriet Bond
Date: April 5, 2011
