It is so fundamental to our success in life and as Christians, that
we almost think of it as insignificant. What is it? Courage. Yes,
courage. Courage in all things, to do what is right, to do what is
good, to fight the good fight, to understand that this life is nothing
BUT a non-stop continuous battle.
Throughout scripture, the prophets of the Old Testament, Jesus
himself, as well as the apostles and the great evangelist Paul provide
a dramatic contrast between the holy life that God offers us versus the
sinful life that our carnal, depraved and dying flesh wants for us.
This sinful life is evidenced in scripture as sexual immorality, lying,
stealing, jealousy, murder, idolatry, witchcraft, sorcery, and…
cowardice. Yes, that’s right – cowardice. The absence of courage is
lumped right in there with the most vile sins of the flesh.
Consider Revelation 21:8:
But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the
vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic
arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake
of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
Did you hear that? Let me say it again without the other sins listed just to emphasize.
“But the cowardly - their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
How many times have you heard sermons on all of those other sins?
When was the last time you heard a sermon or did a study on the sin of
cowardice? Wow.
Now, just in case any of you are thinking that this passage in
Revelation is out of character with the Holy Spirit and the Word,
consider these other admonitions on the same topic:
Here’s one from Paul written to Timothy: “For God did not give us a
spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of
self-discipline.”
God commands us to be bold, to live that way in a spirit of power –
have you ever imagined that you are commanded to live boldly and with
the spirit of power? And also of love and of self-discipline.
How about this one written by Luke in Acts chapter 4:
“When they saw
the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled,
ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men
had been with Jesus.”
See what happens when we live out Christ in our lives as average,
normal human beings, but do so with heavenly courage? It turns people’s
heads! It gets noticed for what it is – evidence of something
supernatural.
Or this one from Paul to the church at Corinth:
“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.”
Why do you think Paul was saying… “be on your guard” in this
passage? I think it was because we humans are all subject to life
circumstances that scream at us constantly to give up, to crawl into a
hole, to stop believing in the eternity and power of our God.
And here’s another one from Paul, this time to the Philippians:
“I
eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have
sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my
body, whether by life or by death.”
Again, we see the relationship between courage and a witness to the
world of Christ in us.
And the final one I’ll reference is recorded by the author of Hebrews:
“But Christ is faithful as a son over God's
house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope
of which we boast.”
Again, we see the correlation between faith, God and our courage.
So, as you face your heart aches, your frustrations, the loss of your
job, marital problems, kid problems, and the unending onslaught of what
the author of all destruction and sin has unleashed on us, remember to
take courage – not in yourself, not in the way the world portrays – but
in Christ, in His power, in His promises – and fill your hearts with
the joy that knows no boundaries and no circumstance, and there you
will find your peace, your confidence, your ability to get on with your
life anyway.