Date:  September 19th, 2010

Speaker:  Pastor Kevin Snyder

Title:  Courage

Text:  Joshua 1

Introduction

We want to talk about courage today.  Story of high school student…

When I was a senior in high school, I had to take a literatureexam. On the exam, the essay question was "What is courage?" Most of us settled in to write these lengthy dissertations in order to impress the teacher with our compositionalprowess. But the guy diagonally in front of me flipped to the essay page, wrote something very quickly, stood up, set the paper on the teacher's podium, and walked out of the classroom.

I found out later what he had written from some of my classmates.

Simple.Two words.'This is.'.

Courage and stupidity can live in the same house. Often there is a fine line between being courageous and being stupid.  Sometimes as guys we don’t always know where that line is….so guys here is some advice for you to keep you from crossing the line when your wife is giving birth.  Help you see the line…This is a critical time when she needs you to have courage not be stupid.

Things Not To Say During Childbirth....

-- Gosh, you're lucky. I sure wish men could experience the miracle of childbirth.

-- Do you think the baby will come before Monday Night Football starts?

-- If you think this hurts, I should tell you about the time I twisted my ankle playing basketball.

-- That was the kids on the phone. Did you have anything planned for dinner?

-- When you lay on your back, you look like a python that swallowed a wild boar.

-- You don't need an epidural. Just relax and enjoy the moment.

-- Stop your swearing and just breathe.

-- Remember what we learned in Lamaze class! HEE HEE HOO HOO. You're not using the right words.

-- Your stomach still looks like there's another one in there.

 

Text

We are starting today in the book of Joshua. Joshua starts after the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.  A new generation are about to enter into the Promised Land.

Moses has died and Joshua, the young former spy and assistant, is now the leader.

God’s message to Joshua as he is about this leadership position can be summarized in this short phrase:

“Be strong and courageous…”

 

It is a phrase repeated 4x in chapter 1. It is said if someone repeats something 3x they are wanting to make a point.  Well, here it is mentioned 4x. 

1. Basis for His Courage 

Before God says for Joshua to be strong and courageous he reminds him of 3 things.

His Promise:

“I will give you every place your foot touches” (Josh 1:3)

 

His Power

“No one will stand against you…” (Josh 1:5)

 

His Presence

“As I was with Moses so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Josh 1:5b)  

 

2. God’s Call

The challenge to Joshua to be strong and courageous isn’t just a “suck-it-up and do it”, but rather it is based on a firm foundation of God’s promise, his power, and presence.

It is with that as the foundation that God says “Be strong and courageous.”

 

God calls Joshua to be 2 things: 

1. Be Strong

Picture of strong I get is like a lone tree.  Firm, rooted, able to stand the wind. Picture of not being overcome or blown over.Able to stand against the pressure.

It is to be firm, unwavering, committed to your convictions. 

 

Eph 4: 14 refers to an immature or weak believer as one who is “tossed back and forth by the waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching…”

Not rooted, wavering because no deep seated convictions yet. 

2. Be Courageous

Picture here is more of Peter stepping out of the boat, a guy stepping over a gorge, a person taking a risk..

• If strong connotes a resistance to the pressures and winds against us. 

Courage speaks more of stepping out and “going where no man has gone before”…stepping out into enemy territory, moving forward, speaking out.  It speaks of walking into something.

 

We have the passive and the aggressive sides.

God calls Joshua to be strong, and becourageous because of his promises, his power, and his presence. 

• So be strong – stand firm, don’t be wavering and waffling.
• Be courageous – step out, take on the giants, overcome the fears that hold you back. 

 

What was he to be strong and courageous in?

a. In leadership  -

“Be strong and courageous because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.” (Josh 1:6) 

b. In commitment to God and His Word

Joshua 1:7-8

Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.  

 

Result:

Josh 1:8b  – “Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

 

God’s promise to those who trust his promises, his power, and his presence, who respond to his call to be strong and courageous is that they will succeed and prosper.  Note promise is not made to the weak and timid.  Courage is faith in action and God’s promise is to those who will act in faith.

Application

How does this apply to us?

Joshua was setting out to reclaim a physical chunk of land. But I would like us to think of this in spiritual terms. The land to us represents Satan’s domain.  His kingdom of darkness.The realm where he exerts his control.The world that is under the principalities and powers and rulers of this dark world.

In the land before us we face giants, fortifications, we are outnumbered.  As a church we are called to push back the darkness.  To introduce and proclaim the kingdom of God.To demonstrate his values of love, justice, peace, and joy.  To introduce a kingdom of peace, harmony, justice, love, compassion into a world of hatred, jealousy, fear, greed, impurity, and injustice.

God has told us to “go into all the world& preach the gospel…”  To join with God in his mission of redeeming, and restoring for good this world.  To push back the darkness.

 

Now, we don’t do it with swords, or protests, or coercion.  We don’t force the kingdom of God on people who don’t accept it.  We pray, we speak the truth in love, we love, we care, we become advocates of the poor and needy…we live on stage the values of the kingdom.

The Apostle Paul said in 2 Cor. 10:4

3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

 

We are as Jesus said “I am sending you as lambs among wolves…”

And even though we go into a land & realm where we are…

• outnumbered.
• Where there are strongholds before us that appear immovable, undefeatable.
• Where there are giant problems and resistance to this kingdom of light.

 

We go with the same resources as Joshua.

We have his promises:

• “Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4)
  
• “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13)
  
• “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”        – 2 Peter 1:3

 

His Presence

Matthew 28:16-18

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in?a? the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.  

John 14:18

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 

Acts 1:8

8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

 

His Power

2 Timothy 1:7

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

 

And I think God’s word to us would be today based on that

“Be strong & courageous”

• Be firm, unwavering, rooted in your convictions
• Be courageous, step out, advance, push back the darkness

 

Question is:

Where do we need to be that?  What arenas do we need strength and courage? 

 

From my observation and experience let me suggest 4 arenas:

ARENA #1: RELATIONSHIPS

One of the areas where many of us lack courage is in the arena of relationships.

• Single perhaps getting courage to ask someone out.

• Thinking more specifically of when something is bothering us or something is done that we don’t understand.  We can sense something not right but we are afraid to go and confront it.   

 

Our lack of courage prevents us from being peacemakers.  We avoid, deny, withdraw…everything but go and talk and get it out on the table.

 

Perhaps you know of what I speak.  Been there.  Need to talk to someone but afraid. Afraid of how they will react.  And so you avoid….put it off

 

Our Christian fellowship is destroyed often because we don’t have the courage to go and speak face to face.  Instead we will talk about them. We will gossip…everything but talk to them.  You see, gossip thrives in a cowardly community. Afraid to go to source.Afraid to not listen. 

 

One of the areas where we need to have courage and boldness so that God’s kingdom can be more manifest is in the area of our relationships with one another.

 

Personal question:

• How’s your courage in this arena?
• What will you do this week to display greater courage? 

 

ARENA #2: CULTURE

The culture of secularism in our society has acted like a giant of biblical times.  It has caused often to be intimidated as Christians  We lack courage to speak into the issues that matter to us and end up going along with the flow.

 

Now I’m not talking about protests, and placards, and acting like political parties in the political arena.  I’m talking about being salt and influencing the culture where we live in less combative ways.  Just having the courage to express our opinions and to suggest change.

 

Now let me show some courage and venture into a big part of Swift Current culture: the hockey arena

Hockey is a good thing,  but dare we inject this arena with Christ.

i.e.

Awhile back I got an email from a parent who shared that they couldn’t come to church anymore because their young son had hockey on every Sunday morning.

 

Okay, here are a couple questions:

1. Have we, as Christian parents, ever approached the hockey association in Swift Current, in a polite and nice way, and said: “You know, faith is important to us as a family can we move the time our young kids are on the ice away from Sunday mornings?”

When I think of all the Christian parents involved I wonder if it would have an impact. Do we not say anything because

• our kids faith and connection to church isn’t that important to us…hockey is more
• We are afraid  or feel powerless?

Doesn’t just apply to hockey…

 

If don’t like that approach or feel won’t make a difference then how about a more courageous approach.

2. I heard of a community that introduced a chaplain & chapel approach right thru minor hockey.  We have a chaplain for the Bronco’s why not have it right through the system?  What about banding together and introducing the idea that before Sunday games we set up a chapel time (30mins) before  the games for any kids and parents interested. Could talk about topics that integrate faith to the ice and life….bring Christ into the arena.

If there was interest & courage I would offer to have one of my staff or someone, or go to ministerial to have someone who would do that.  In fact, I talked to  Jim Magee, former chaplain to the Broncos , and he would be willing to do that.

i.e.

Church Of God in Camrose had a commissioning prayer for the hockey parents & kids to go and be missional at the arenas.  I’d be open to doing that.    But I would like to see one more step and that is – How are we going to do that?

What is our plan?

 

Take that as a challenge – a calling out…(If some parents interested I have some material do as a small group to work through to get there)

 

Now that isn’t the only arena….but the principle is there. 

 

Applies to your neighbourhood?

Faith Today spoke of a Christian who started “Beer & Bible Study” at a local pub.  Place where a lot of spiritual and of course no-spiritual conversations take place.

i.e.

Friend – Sally – husband wasn’t a Christain – go to bar with him. Made him so mad – he’d be off playing pool and all his friends would be sitting with his wife  engaged in these spiritual conversations...bugged him because his sister came to know Christ, 2 of his friends….finally he did.

 

Question is:

Do we have the courage to take Jesus outside the 4 walls of the church into the culture of our community?  Do we have the courage to “just walk across the room…the street….that’s where it starts.

What could that look like for you?

How can we introduce Jesus into the different arenas of our life? 

 

This arena of culture is again an arena where we need to be called out to be strong and courageous.  Won’t make a difference being weak and timid….not path to success. 

 

ARENA # 3 OF FAITH

One of the arenas we need to find courage is to have the backbone to be Christian at work, in our neighbourhood, among our friendships. 

• It’s amazing how many men who want to be thought of as strong and tough, but don’t have courage to admit they have faith.  Don’t have even the courage to let others know they might go to church. 
• Amazing how we don’t have the courage to come to aid of a kid who is being picked on at school. 
• Or We don’t have the courage to say “no” but instead go along with the crowd.
• Don’t have the courage to admit we aren’t doing very well at home and ask for prayer or help.
• Don’t have the courage to step in and confront a friend who is making some bad choices.
• Don’t have the courage to speak up when something is wrong.
• Courage is not the absence of fear in those times.  It is the master of fear.  It is the thing that drives us to override our fears.

I want to hold up to an example of young person in our church today.  He’s my hero this week – It’s Colby Anderson. Paul told Timothy to be an example  to everyone of his faith  Here is an example of that verse:

  This is off his facebook page…his status which the whole world can see it.  But took a courageous step and stood up.

 

God made everyone to do something but if you want to take what he has given you and throw it away for friends that’s your choice. Just because your friends have a fun time drinking or smoking doesn't mean that's what you should. Tonight at youth we talked about following what others do. One thing I got out of it was that you don't follow what your friends tell you but what God tells you.

 

I admire that young guy.  It takes courage to put your faith out there.

Do we have the courage to put our faith out there?

• In our family?  Take the lead in bringing family to church?  Being an example in our devotion? Charting our values?
• Among our friends?
• At work?  Courage to not just join in everything…. 

 

ARENA #4: ARENA OF LIFE

One of the arenas that calls us to be strong & courageous is life itself.  We  all face times when life scares us….the challenges are giants, our future looks bleak, we fear defeat. Can be health, job, kids, finances…

But what gives us strength and courage is God’s promises, his power , and his presence.

 

Let’s finish by watching a video about a family who got hit by life but who demonstrate that strength and courage….because they found that anchor.

 

Conclusion

Today, where do you need an injection of courage?

Which arena are you feeling weak and timid and need to be reminded of God’s presence, power , and promises??

In Acts 3 & 4 we read about how the disciples put their faith out their.  They got a pretty rigorous backlash.

What did they do?

They went back to the believers and prayed.

What did they pray?

“Oh lord deliver me.  Take me out of this.  Rescue me.”

No

They prayed for boldness and courage.

They prayed that in the face of the giants that they would have courage.

 

Today, let me call you to join your heart and voices with theirs ,and pray for God to make us strong and courageous.

 

Maybe today, you want to indicate that need for strength and courage and take a courageous step and come and pray at the altar.  “God, I need an injection of Joshua courage right now…”

 

Prayer

 

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The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. 2 Co 10:3-4

aOr into; see Acts 8:16; 19:5; Romans 6:3; 1 Cor. 1:13; 10:2 and Gal. 3:27.

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Mt 28:18-20