Joshua 1: 9 “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.�
The Virtue of Courage
Courage Defined
The ability to face physical pain, hardship, death, or threat of death. To act righteously in the face of popular opposition, shame or discouragement.
Christ Is Our Example His works & sacrifice on earth exemplify courage Christ faced opposition while teaching & healing The Pharisees & leaders sought to take his life He stood up for the truth no matter the hardship Ultimately Christ did die for his people & the truth
Examples of Christ’s Courage
Standing Up for the Truth Against Man
“My house shall be called the house of prayer…” Matthew 21: 12-13 The House of God is used exclusively to worship
God We must defend the House of God to ensure that only
his will is done By defending God’s house offenses & separation will
Standing Up for the Truth Against Man
“Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God
by your tradition” Matthew 15: 1-14 The Pharisees placed their traditions above the laws of
God Christ advocated the keeping of God’s laws above all
else
Standing Up for the Truth Against Man
Today the sons of men place their own traditions
above the laws of God •
Christmas and other pagan holidays
•
Worshipping on Sunday
Despite the trends & traditions of this world we must
always obey and stand up for God’s law By doing this we will face persecution and trials
Matthew 10: 28
“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.�
Standing Up for the Truth Against Satan
Matthew 4: 1-11 Christ was tempted 3 times by Satan He was fasting & physically in a weakened state He did not use his power to defeat Satan Instead he used his spiritual strength and the word of
God to stand up against Satan
Standing Up for the Truth Against Satan Christ showed his children that we can use the word of
God as a weapon We need courage & will power to stand against the
forces of Satan Satan is more powerful than us & uses intimidation
tactics to persuade us to transgress the law The word of God is a powerful weapon, liken to armor
(Eph 6: 12-17, Heb 4:12)
Christ Sacrificed His Life
The most courageous act Christ performed was
sacrificing his life Being in the flesh he too experienced fear & sorrow
before his death (Matthew 26: 38-39) He did not let his emotions prevent him from obeying
his Father He was scorned, mocked & suffered a horrible death
Christ Sacrificed His Life
There are many people who have and will sacrifice
their lives for the word of God These individuals drink of the same cup of Christ We might not all have to die but we have our cups &
they are bitter to taste We must maintain courage to drink of our cups
willingly to gain salvation
Closing Remarks & Scriptures
“Enter ye in at the strait gate…” Matthew 7: 13-14 Strait: a condition of narrowness or restriction; distress;
difficulty; poverty; Looking at this term we see we have a difficult path to
walk & require the virtue of courage to continue our journey
Audience Participation!
Examples from People in the Bible
Stephen (Acts Ch. 7) Esther David (before he was king) Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego Other individuals in the bible or share a personal
experience