Mills Memorial Baptist Church
Wednesday Evening Worship
  • No One Ever Cared for Me
  • Here Am I Lord
  • Deuteronomy 31:6
    Philippians 1:20
    Courageous: Demonstrating that God is with me, giving strength and firmness of character, enabling me to endure any trial or danger.
    We live in a fearful world.
    People are afraid of the future.
    They’re afraid of rejection.
    They’re afraid of failure.
    They’re afraid of suffering.
    They’re afraid of what obedience to God might cost them.
    Yet when we come to the Word of God, we find that courage is not the absence of danger.
    It is not the absence of pressure.
    It is not the absence of trembling feelings.
    Biblical courage is the settled strength of a heart that knows God is present, God is faithful, and God is enough.
    That’s why Deuteronomy 31:6 says, “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”
    Courageous means demonstrating that God is with me, giving strength and firmness of character, enabling me to endure any trial or danger.
    That definition fits the life of Christ perfectly.
    Our Lord never backed away from truth.
    He never retreated from obedience.
    He never softened righteousness because of pressure.
    He moved steadily, firmly, and fearlessly in the will of His Father.
    And now He calls us to live with that same kind of holy courage.
    Not a proud courage.
    Not a reckless courage.
    Not a fleshly bravado.
    But a Christlike courage that stands because God is near.
    A.W. Tozer said, “A scared world needs a fearless church.”
    That’s so true.
    The world does not need believers who blend in.
    It needs believers who stand up.
    It needs believers who trust God enough to obey Him even when obedience is costly.
    Tonight, let’s see what courageous Christian living really looks like.

    I. Courageous People Rest In God’s Presence

    If we’re going to live courageously, it won’t begin with confidence in ourselves.
    It has to begin with confidence in the Lord who goes with us.
    Before God ever calls His people to face the battle, He reminds them that they will not face it alone.

    A. They Remember Who Goes With Them

    In Deuteronomy 31, Moses is preparing Joshua and the people for a major transition.
    Moses would soon die.
    Joshua would lead.
    Israel would cross into a land filled with enemies, battles, and uncertainty.
    Humanly speaking, this was a frightening moment.
    There were new responsibilities.
    There were new dangers.
    There were giants in the land.
    There were fortified cities ahead.
    There was no way to move forward without faith.
    So God did not first give them a strategy.
    He gave them His presence.
    “The LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee.”
    That’s the heart of courage.
    Courage begins when you stop staring at the size of the problem and start resting in the greatness of your God.
    Isaiah 41:10 KJV
    10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: Be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; Yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
    The command not to fear is tied to the promise of His presence.
    You can face what’s ahead because God is already there.
    Many times, we want courage to come from changed circumstances.
    But God usually gives courage by reminding us of His unchanging presence.
    The Red Sea didn’t part until Israel was there.
    The Jordan didn’t open until the priests stepped in.
    The lions’ den was still real for Daniel.
    The furnace was still hot for the three Hebrew boys.
    But God was present in every one of those places.
    That means your courage tonight does not depend on having an easy week.
    It depends on having a faithful God.

    B. They Refuse To Be Ruled By Fear

    Once you know God is with you, you don’t have to let fear sit on the throne of your heart.
    Fear may still knock at the door, but it does not have to control your decisions.
    Deuteronomy 31:6 says, “fear not, nor be afraid of them.”
    God does not deny the reality of danger.
    He denies fear the right to rule His people.
    Fear is powerful.
    It can silence your witness.
    It can weaken your convictions.
    It can keep you from obeying God.
    It can cause you to compromise just to avoid discomfort.
    That is why 2 Timothy 1:7 says,
    2 Timothy 1:7 KJV
    7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
    Fear does not come from God as a controlling force in the believer’s life.
    God gives power.
    God gives love.
    God gives a settled, stable mind.
    Now let’s be honest.
    Sometimes courage and fear show up in the same heart at the same time.
    A courageous person is not always one who feels no fear.
    A courageous person is one who chooses obedience in the face of fear.
    When David faced Goliath, he understood the danger.
    When Esther went before the king, she understood the risk.
    When Paul preached Christ, he knew chains might follow.
    But each of them chose faith over fear.
    There’s a great difference between recklessness and courage.
    Recklessness trusts self.
    Courage trusts God.
    Some of us need to stop letting fear make our decisions.

    II. Courageous People Reveal God’s Strength

    Real courage is not self-confidence dressed up in religious language.
    It is the strength of God showing itself in a yielded life.
    When a believer stands firm in a hard place, the real explanation is not the believer’s toughness, but the Lord’s power.

    A. They Depend On His Power, Not Their Own

    The command in Deuteronomy 31:6 is, “Be strong and of a good courage.”
    That strength is not self-manufactured.
    It is strength supplied by God.
    The Christian life was never meant to be lived in the energy of the flesh.
    Ephesians 6:10 KJV
    10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
    God never tells us to grit our teeth and become heroes for Him by our own resources.
    He tells us to draw from Him.
    That is exactly what Christ did in His earthly life.
    Though fully God, He lived in submission to the Father and in the power of the Spirit.
    He showed us what dependent courage looks like.
    He faced Satan in the wilderness.
    He faced opposition from religious leaders.
    He faced the hatred of men.
    He set His face toward Jerusalem.
    And He did it all in perfect submission to the Father’s will.
    Luke 9:51 KJV
    51 And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,
    That is courage.
    Not noisy courage.
    Not emotional courage.
    Steady courage.
    Sacred courage.
    Obedient courage.
    If courage depended on personality, then only bold temperaments could obey God well.
    But that is not the case.
    Some of the strongest Christians are not naturally forceful people.
    They are simply people who have learned where true strength comes from.
    Hudson Taylor said, “All God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on God being with them.”
    Courageous believers are not impressive because they’re naturally fearless.
    They’re impressive because they keep leaning on a powerful God.
    When your own strength runs out, you are not finished.
    You are in the right place to discover His strength.
    Paul learned that in 2 Corinthians 12:9
    2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV
    9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
    Weakness does not disqualify you from courage.
    It may be the very place where courage is formed.

    B. They Stand Firm Under Pressure

    It’s one thing to talk about strength.
    It’s another thing to show it when the pressure is on.
    Courage becomes visible when convictions are tested.
    Our definition says courage gives “strength and firmness of character.”
    That’s important!
    Firmness of character means you don’t collapse morally when pressured.
    You don’t drift doctrinally when challenged.
    You don’t change your convictions just because standing costs more than you expected.
    Philippians 1:20 is one of the great courage verses in all the Bible.
    Paul is in prison.
    His future is uncertain.
    Death is possible.
    But his concern is not mainly self-preservation.
    His concern is that “in nothing I shall be ashamed,” and that “with all boldness” Christ would be magnified.
    That is courageous Christianity.
    It is not asking, “How do I protect myself?”
    It is asking, “How do I honor Christ?”
    It is not centered on comfort.
    It is centered on Christ being magnified.
    Daniel purposed in his heart before the test came.
    That was firmness of character.
    Joseph refused Potiphar’s wife because his convictions were already settled.
    That was firmness of character.
    The apostles said, “We ought to obey God rather than men.”
    That was firmness of character.
    Character is revealed under pressure.
    Anyone can speak boldly in a friendly room.
    Anyone can testify when it costs nothing.
    Anyone can appear committed when obedience is convenient.
    But when pressure comes, what is inside comes out.
    A tree with deep roots may bend in the storm, but it does not uproot easily.
    In the same way, a Christian grounded in the Word and anchored in Christ may feel pressure, but he does not have to fall apart.
    Psalm 27:1 KJV
    1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
    David is not pretending enemies don’t exist.
    He is declaring that God is greater than they are.
    Don’t wait for a great crisis to decide whether you’ll be courageous.
    Settle it in the small moments.
    A firm character is built one obedient choice at a time.

    III. Courageous People Magnify Christ In Every Trial

    At the highest level, courage is not really about preserving ourselves.
    It is about exalting Christ.
    That is what makes Christian courage different from human bravery.
    Human bravery may fight for pride.
    Christian courage lives for the glory of Christ.

    A. They Seek Christ’s Honor Above Personal Safety

    Philippians 1:20 is deeply searching.
    Paul says, “so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.”
    Paul’s highest aim was not survival.
    It was magnifying Christ.
    That is where true courage lives.
    If my main goal is comfort, I will retreat when comfort is threatened.
    If my main goal is reputation, I will retreat when reputation is on the line.
    If my main goal is ease, I will retreat when obedience becomes costly.
    But if my main goal is Christ being magnified, then courage becomes possible.
    Jesus modeled this perfectly in Gethsemane.
    He understood the cup before Him.
    He understood the agony.
    He understood the cross.
    Yet He ended at, “not my will, but thine, be done.”
    That was not weakness.
    That was the highest courage the world has ever seen.

    B. They Endure Because Their Hope Is In Christ

    If Christ is the goal, then Christ must also be the ground of our endurance.
    We do not keep going because we are naturally strong.
    We keep going because our hope is anchored in Someone stronger than we are.
    Paul could talk about life or death because his hope was anchored beyond both of them.
    Philippians 1:21 KJV
    21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
    That is not the language of a defeated man.
    That is the language of a courageous saint whose heart is fixed on Christ.
    In Romans he said,
    Romans 8:31 KJV
    31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
    That does not mean there will be no enemies.
    It means no enemy can overturn the purposes of God for His people.
    It means opposition is real, but it is not ultimate.
    It means the believer’s future is secure.
    Your fears may be many.
    Your pressures may be many.
    Your burdens may be many.
    But the promises of God are more.
    Romans 8:38–39 KJV
    38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
    That is why believers through the centuries have endured prison, persecution, hardship, and loss.
    Their hope was not in the ease of the path.
    Their hope was in the Christ who walked with them on it.

    IV. Courageous People Move Forward In Obedient Faith

    Courage is not complete until it moves.
    It is not enough to admire courageous truth.
    It must become courageous action.
    A heart strengthened by God will eventually put feet to its faith.

    A. They Obey Even When The Path Is Difficult

    Deuteronomy 31 was not merely about a challenge to feel brave.
    It was about moving forward.
    There was ground to take and battles to fight.
    Courage that never obeys is only talk.
    Real courage puts feet to faith.
    James 1:22 KJV
    22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
    There comes a point when we must stop admiring courage and start practicing it.
    Noah built the ark before the rain came.
    Abraham left without seeing the whole map.
    Joshua marched around Jericho without a human explanation that made sense.
    Peter stepped out of the boat while the storm still raged.
    Each and every one teaches the same lesson.
    Courage obeys while questions remain.
    Some people are waiting until they feel fully ready to obey God.
    That day may never come.
    If Joshua had waited to feel no pressure, he never would have led.
    If Paul had waited for a safer ministry setting, he never would have preached as he did.
    If you wait for zero risk, you will likely stay where you are.

    B. They Inspire Others By Their Example

    One of the beautiful things about courage is that it rarely stops with one person.
    When one believer stands, others are strengthened to stand with him.
    Courage is contagious.
    Joshua needed to hear these words because a nation would follow his leadership.
    Paul’s courage strengthened the saints around him.
    Philippians 1:14 KJV
    14 And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
    His courage helped produce courage in others.
    That is one of the beautiful effects of Christlike character.
    It never stays isolated.
    It blesses others.
    It steadies others.
    It points others to the sufficiency of God.
    Think about our Lord.
    His courage before Pilate.
    His courage before the cross.
    His courage in speaking truth.
    His courage in loving sinners.
    His courage in enduring contradiction of sinners against Himself.
    That courage has strengthened countless believers through the centuries.
    And in a smaller but still meaningful way, your courage may help someone else.
    A father’s courage can steady a home.
    A mother’s courage can calm anxious hearts.
    A church member’s courage can strengthen a congregation.
    A young person’s courage can challenge friends to stand for Christ.

    Conclusion

    Courageous means demonstrating that God is with me, giving strength and firmness of character, enabling me to endure any trial or danger.
    That is not merely a noble trait.
    It is a Christlike trait.
    It is part of the character of our Savior.
    And it ought to be growing in us.
    So let me ask you tonight.
    Where have you been ruled by fear?
    Where have you been shrinking back?
    Maybe your courage has been drained by a long trial.
    Maybe it has been weakened by disappointment.
    Maybe it has been choked by anxiety about what others think.
    Maybe it has been hindered by looking too much at the danger and too little at the Lord.
    Then come back to these truths.
    God is with you.
    God is your strength.
    Christ must be magnified.
    Obedience is still the right path.
    I heard someone talk about a little boy who had to cross a dark field at night with his father.
    At first he was terrified because all he could see was darkness.
    But then his father reached down and took his hand.
    Nothing about the field changed.
    The darkness was still there.
    The distance was still there.
    But the boy walked on calmly because he was no longer thinking mainly about the darkness.
    He was thinking about the hand that held his.
    That is the Christian life.
    Many times the darkness around us does not immediately change.
    The trial may still be there.
    The danger may still be there.
    The pressure may still be there.
    But when we know that our Father is with us, we can go forward.
    So be strong.
    Be of a good courage.
    Don’t let fear preach louder than God’s promises.
    Don’t let danger decide your obedience.
    Don’t let pressure silence your testimony.
    Ask the Lord to make you courageous.
    Ask Him to help you rest in His presence.
    Ask Him to strengthen your character.
    And when you do, you will find that courage is not you becoming impressive.
    It is Christ becoming precious, and powerful, and real in the middle of your trial.

      • Isaiah 41:10KJV1900

      • 2 Timothy 1:7KJV1900

      • Ephesians 6:10KJV1900

      • Luke 9:51KJV1900

      • 2 Corinthians 12:9KJV1900

      • Psalm 27:1KJV1900

      • Philippians 1:21KJV1900

      • Romans 8:31KJV1900

      • Romans 8:38–39KJV1900

      • James 1:22KJV1900

      • Philippians 1:14KJV1900

  • My Jesus I Love Thee
Mills Memorial Baptist Church
millsmemorialbapt@gmail.com
989-843-6433
https://millsmemorial.faithlifesites.com
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