Welcome to Wisdom Today with Bill Kelley. Today we will go over Proverb 28. I will key in on the 2nd part of verse 1: But the righteous are bold as a lion. Friends, may I suggest that we are to be bold as lions as well. Someone who was bold was Saul of Tarsus, who later became known as the beloved Apostle Paul. We have learned of his conversion in the 9th chapter of the Book of Acts. The Spirit of Jesus met him on the road to Damascus and asked, "Why are you persecuting me?" Paul asked, "Who are you, Lord?" Jesus replied, "I am Jesus, who you are persecuting." For three days Paul lost his sight and was blind. We pick up the story later in Chapter 9: verses 17-22. Paul was given his sight back and began preaching that Jesus was the Christ. The people marveled - because only days before Saul had persecuted Christians and had them bound in chains for following "the Way." I will then go to the letter that Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus (we know this as Ephesians) beginning in Chapter 1: verses 3-14. I will read these verses in their entirety. From this very compelling portion of scripture I have come up with four thoughts: 1. We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing - because of what Jesus did on the cross, we have been promised our salvation, property, healing, and everything else we hold dear in life. 2. In Him we have redemption through the blood (see Galatians 3: verse 13). Jesus became a curse for us and took our place when He dies on the cross. Because He was willing to take the curse (that we deserved) upon His body we have now been reconciled to God. 3. You were sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise - Jesus told us that He would not leave us as orphans. (I will read in its entirety from the Gospel of John Chapter 15: verses 5-15. When Jesus rose into Heaven on the day of Pentecost He sent the Holy Spirit to come down and live inside of each believer that believed on the name of Jesus. I love the promise that He will bring all things to our remembrance and that He will show us things to come. I will close with number 4: We are to come boldly to the throne of grace (Hebrews Chapter 4: verses 14-16). By dying on the cross, we can now come boldly to the throne of grace and ask God for anything we have need of, and know that He hears us.
