What does it mean to be a bold Kingdom citizen? Are your thoughts bold? Are your prayers bold? Are your actions bold? Proverbs 28:1 “The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.” A lion is bold when defending his territory or hunting. Lions are bold in their actions because they have nothing to fear. Living in fear is the opposite of boldness. Lions know they have the advantage in battle. They walk boldly, in confidence, because of this knowledge. Once they have brought down their prey, you don’t see them let down their guard and celebrate their victory. No, they just stand in bold confidence and finish the job, keeping a watchful eye for other enemies who would rise up and try to attack them. Lions don’t have to brag about being lions. Now before we go any further let me address the political temperature in America right now. There have been some very historic decisions by the supreme court in the last week, and I believe we should be bold like lions in celebrating our victory. Here is what I mean. Just stand boldly in confidence and finish the job, keeping a watchful eye for the next enemy. Being bold like a lion does not require arrogance. This political touchdown does not require an end-zone celebration dance that rubs our win into the face of those who were in opposition to it. Does that look like love? Do your social media posts look like bold love or prideful arrogance? Can you maintain the mind of Christ which is humility, during a victory? Remember, our battle is not with flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces of darkness. Can you take bold action and be humble at the same time?
Jesus was bold and at the same time humble. Look at how He dealt with Pilate when He was about to be crucified. The Jewish leaders has brought Him in and accused him of treason to Rome. If Jesus was the ‘King of the Jews” then you would assume that He would be leading a rebellion against Rome. John 18:33 “33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” This is a big moment, because the accusation of treason and rebellion was on the line. It’s really the only question Pilate cares about. As the governor sent from Rome, his main job was to keep the region under the rule of Rome. So what does Jesus do? He answers Pilate’s question with a question. John 18:34-35 “34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus asked him, “do you really want to know yourself? Have you seen any evidence of my Kingship...or are you just repeating what someone else told you?” This seemed to rattle Pilate, because he basically says, “Your people are saying this. What have you done to make them accuse you of treason?” Pilate says that those accusing Jesus are His people, so Jesus responds and straightens him out about that. John 18:36 “36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”
Jesus does not deny that He is a king, but these are not His people. He begins to clarify the details about His kingdom and says if his kingdom were of this world His people would already be fighting for Him. Jesus didn’t get loud or get in pilates face about His authority, but He made it clear that He was a King and he had servants who would attend to Him if needed. This was the same reference He had made earlier that evening to His own disciples. Judas came with the religious police to arrest Jesus in the garden, when this happened. Matthew 26:51-54 “51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” That was in boldness He proclaimed His power, authority and favor with the Father, but working in humility by submitting to the Father’s will and not His own. OK, back to his conversation with Pilate. John 18:37 “37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Are you of the truth? Are you listening to His voice? Are you bold enough to do what the King says...in the way the King says to do it? That is the boldness that the message of the kingdom will give you.
Your bold actions are the sign that you have received the kingdom message and believe it enough to turn it into faith. If you don’t act on the kingdom message with boldness, it has been wasted on you. If it hasn’t changed your behavior, your attitude or your thoughts about your spiritual calling and responsibility...I’m afraid it means you haven’t truly received the message...you have rejected the message of the kingdom. If you truly accept the gospel of the kingdom, you will act on it. You will have a burning desire to tell others, care for others and want for them, what God has given you. This is the boldness that comes from the Holy Spirit. Acts 4:13 “13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” Do people recognize that You have been with Jesus? Do people look at you and say, “there is no way this guy should have this kind of boldness and power?” It has to be from God. That’s what happened to Neal.... In the passage we just read, Peter and John had healed a man in the name of Jesus...on a sabbath. So, naturally the religious leaders put them in jail overnight. The next day they were released after being threatened and told not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. Peter and John go back to their friends and tell them what happened. After their report, everyone started praying. This is what they prayed:
Acts 4:27-30 “27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. 29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” That is a bold prayer. “Lord, consider the threats of the enemy and grant us boldness to speak Your word!” Can you pray that boldly when the political climate continues to threaten us as disciples of Jesus? If you think now is the time to just sit back and enjoy the recent political victory, you should reconsider that thought. Just look what happened when Peter, John and their friends prayed that bold prayer after being threatened. Acts 4:31 “31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” The place was shaken and the Holy Spirit did His work. Our prayers have to remain bold to the point of being spiritually aggressive. We are on the attack. Remember the gates of hell will not prevail. Gates are a defensive protection of the enemy and they must be attacked. Matthew 16:18-19 “18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
What does it mean that the things we bind on earth will be bound in heaven and the things we loose on earth will be loosed in heaven? It means that the kingdom of heaven will back us up with its authority, when we are acting on the King’s behalf. When we pray bold prayers on earth for people to be free from bondage in the name of Jesus and for the sake of the kingdom, heaven responds in the spiritual. If you don’t act on the kingdom message that you have received those around you will suffer. The believers will live unfruitful and miserable lives...and the lost will perish.
The apostle Paul certainly acted boldly after he had an encounter with Jesus. Just like Peter and john, He was put in jail many times for preaching in the name of Jesus. But during his defense, he told them he was a Roman citizen and he appealed to Caesar. So Paul was sent to Rome for trial. On his way to Italy there were many difficult situations where he had to be bold for the cause of Christ. His situations were not joyful or peaceful but he had both joy and peace. He was sailing on a ship that was in a violent storm for 14 days and then shipwrecked on an island. He survived, but was then bitten by a poisonous snake. The islanders thought he must be a terrible criminal to have survived the storm and shipwreck, only to be bitten by this snake. They thought he was getting what he deserved. But when he didn’t die, they decided he must be a god. The father of the chief of the village was sick, so Paul visited him, prayed over him and he was healed. After this everyone else who was sick came and was healed. Even in this difficult situation of being shipwrecked and headed to trial, Paul was bold to do the work of God in the name of Jesus. So finally when he arrived in Rome this is what he did. Acts 28:23-24 “23 When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. 24 And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved.” What was Paul’s assignment in Rome? He did two things, he testified about the kingdom and tried to convince them about Jesus. Even after talking to them from morning till evening, some of them still didn’t believe.
Remember what we have said: The results are not up to you, but you are responsible to fulfill your assignment. Look at how the book of Acts ends. Acts 28:30-31 “30 He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.” There is is again. He did two things. He proclaimed the kingdom and taught about Jesus. If you are a citizen of the kingdom, you will talk about the King and His kingdom...with boldness. Your boldness is not just for your benefit, but for the benefit of those who will follow in your family. 2 Timothy 1:5-7 “5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” You have to fan the spark of a gift that God put into you so that it becomes a flame. Fire is all consuming. Your fire of faith should burn hot enough to extend into the future be a spark to the next generation...and the one after that. Look at verse 7 again. It says that God did not give us a Spirit of fear. We have been given a Spirit of power, love and self-control. Some translations use the word timid instead of fear.
As a young man, Timothy was timid and fearful of being bold with his faith. You have to resist the urge to be timid...or intimidated when the enemy is threatening you. That is where fear can begin. But ask yourself this question: Are lions timid or intimidated? Timothy needed to be reminded that he should have a bold confidence through the Holy Spirit who is our source of power, love and self-control. We think about self control in terms of not doing something, but what about being able to control our-self when we feel fear? Do we run away when confronted by the enemy or overcome the fear with power and love? Do you have enough of the Holy Spirit in your life to allow you to stand firm with self control in the face of fear? Did you notice who it was in his family that was credited with the faith passed on to him? It was his mother and grandmother. Here is my question...Where was his father and grandfather? Men, we are supposed to bear the spiritual responsibility in our homes. We have to burn with the flame of bold faith in King Jesus. We have to pass the kingdom spark on to our children and grandchildren. For some of us it will take boldness to stand confidently and tell our children that living as kingdom citizens is not a casual decision that was just about them going to heaven. Do you love them enough to be bold? Or will the fear of them not being your “buddy” after you tell them the truth, make you timid?
For some of us it will take boldness to stand confidently and tell our co-workers why we believe the Supreme Court decision was correct. Not in arrogance, but love. Do you love them enough to be bold? Or will the fear of them not being your friend after you tell them the truth, make you timid? For some of us it will take boldness to stand confidently and tell our friends about our faith in Jesus. Do you love them enough to be bold? Or will the fear of them not being your friend after you tell them the truth, make you timid? Proverbs 28:1 “The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.” Who are you going to be? Are you going to be wicked and run away for no reason?
Or are you going to be righteous and stand BOLD? Like a lion.
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