SERMON: TESTED AND APPROVED: SELF-CONTROL

15 February 2015

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NIV)
²⁴ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
²⁶ Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.
²⁷ No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

            -- as most of you know, I try to go to the gym and work out on a regular basis -- although to look at me, you might not be able to tell -- but I've been doing this for several years now, and over this time, I've noticed something

            -- all of us are familiar with what happens in gyms in January -- January is the time of New Year's resolutions -- and when you go the gym that first week of January, it is packed -- every machine -- every treadmill -- every weight station -- is being used by someone -- usually by people that those of us who go on a regular basis haven't ever seen before -- it's really hard to get in the gym and do anything in January

            -- but then, towards the end of January, the crowd starts to die down -- you see fewer and fewer people, until you're left with the handful of regulars and just one or two of the new folks who have managed to stick it out -- this is the pattern we see with New Year's resolutions -- and it's true not just in the gym, but with all the resolutions that people take up when a new year starts -- people just can't exert self-control -- they just don't have the willpower to maintain a change in their life and so their resolution goes by the way-side and they give up, usually within the first 21 days

            -- but I've recently noticed a new phenomenon -- I'm sure it's been there the whole time, but it's the first time I've noticed it -- over the past week, the gym has gotten a little more crowded -- a lot of the folks that quit in January are back -- they're in the gym again and all the machines are full and it's hard to find a treadmill

            -- and what I think is going on is something I've termed, "Resolution Rebounders" -- you see, these are people who didn't keep their New Year's resolution -- and they feel guilty about it -- so they're trying again -- and now, in the middle of February, they're back at the gym, determined this time to follow through on their resolutions and make a difference in their lives -- but, if the pattern holds, most of them are going to fail and they'll be gone by the first of March

II.  Spiritual Resolution Rebounders

            -- we're familiar with this pattern, aren't we? -- a lot of us tend to be Spiritual Resolution Rebounders -- we make a resolution -- we're going to read the Bible more -- we're going to pray more -- we're going to walk away from that nagging sin in our lives -- we're going to spend more time with our family -- we're going to focus on what's truly important in life

            -- and we do good for a little while, but then we lose focus and our will-power and our self-control wavers, and we start to fall away -- and then we feel guilty and we make the decision to start over -- and so we go back at it and then our will-power goes away and we fail again and then we feel guilty and we resolve to do it again and the cycle goes on and on and on

            -- and to make matters worse, we read over and over in the Bible how as Christians we are supposed to be exercising self-control in our spiritual lives -- Jesus told us to deny ourselves and to take up our cross and to follow Him -- Paul lists self-control as one of the fruits of the Spirit -- even here in this passage, Paul is exhorting us to go into strict training -- temperance -- self-control -- self-discipline -- in order to win the race

            -- but we don't seem able to do so -- are you with me or is this just something that happens to me? -- am I the only one who has a problem in this area? -- anyone else ever had a problem with making a spiritual resolution but found themselves unable to keep it?

            -- this morning, we're continuing in on our sermon series called "Tested and Approved" on the cardinal virtues of a Christian -- we've looked at wisdom and courage and today, we're looking at the much-needed virtue of self-control

            -- I wanted us to talk about what the Bible really means when it tells us to exercise self-control, so we might be able to break out of this cycle of striving and failing and feeling guilty and doing it all over and over again

           

            -- so let's start at the beginning and define what we mean by self-control -- it seems pretty self-explanatory -- self-control is the control of self

            -- the dictionary defines it as the ability to exercise restraint or control over one’s feelings, emotions, reactions, and behavior -- it means the same thing as restraint or self-discipline or willpower

            -- Self-control is the ability to govern ourselves -- as Plato and the early philosophers talked about this virtue, self-control enables us to control our temper -- regulate our sensual appetites and passions -- and pursue even legitimate pleasures in moderation -- It’s the power to resist temptation -- It enables us to wait and to delay gratification in the service of higher and distant goals.¹

            -- so why can't we seem to do it? -- why is our world today the epitome of self-gratification? -- look around you and you won't see but a handful of people who seem to have the self-control the Bible calls for -- even in our churches, we don't see people controlling sin and restraining themselves -- I see it in my own life -- why does it seem we are incapable of controlling ourselves and walking with God as He wants us to?

            -- let's look at this passage and see if we can gain any insights that might help us

III.  Scripture Lesson (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)

            -- remember this letter was written from Paul to the church at Corinth -- and we like to say these were some messed-up people -- they were divided, with some people following this teacher and other people following a different teacher -- there was no unity -- and, as a result, sin was running rampant in their church because everyone was doing what they thought was right -- and even though they were getting spiritual instruction from Paul and Peter and Apollos, they would try it for a while and then fail and try something else -- these are Spiritual Resolution Rebounders of the first century

            -- we tend to think of them as a carnal church -- a messed-up congregation -- but, truthfully, they weren't so different from a lot of our churches today -- it's just that their sins were written down for us to see in the two letters in the Bible while ours is only displayed in our lives

            -- Paul has written this letter to the church to help them sort out their failures and get them on the right track and maybe to get it to stick this time

            -- look with me, if you would, back at verse 24

1 Corinthians 9:24
²⁴ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

            -- here we see the first key to making a difference in our spiritual lives -- you have to know where you are going -- you have to know your purpose -- you have to have a clear goal in mind

            -- in this passage, Paul uses the analogy of a race to help us understand what our lives in Christ should look like -- thinking of a race, what's the goal? -- what's the purpose of running a race? -- to cross the finish line? -- NO!

            -- we don't run a race to cross the finish line -- the purpose of running the race is not to finish, but to win -- the purpose of the race is to win the prize -- and that's one reason why so many people fail in their Christian lives -- they don't understand why they're running the race and so they aren't giving it their all

            -- what is the goal of our life? -- what is our purpose in Christ? -- what is it that Christ is calling us to do?

            -- it's simple -- to know God

            -- the whole purpose of the cross was to restore our relationship with God -- our chief end in life is to know God and to glorify Him -- and we do that by becoming more Christ-like in our lives -- to be holy as He is holy -- and by showing His love to others

            -- our goal is to die to self and to live for Christ -- and what that means -- and why this is important in our discussion on self-control -- is that we first have to get rid of self

            -- in order to win the race, we have to take our eyes off ourselves and off those around us and focus on God and Him alone -- we don't run for ourselves -- we run for Him -- He is our goal -- He is our purpose -- He is our prize

            -- verse 25

1 Corinthians 9:25 (NIV)

²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

            -- Paul tells us that runners who are preparing for a race go into strict training -- the word that is translated in the NIV as "strict training" can also be translated as temperance or self-control or self-discipline

            -- once we know what our goal is, then we can start training for it -- once we know where we are headed, then we can start preparing our bodies and our minds and our spirits so we can run the race and win the prize

            -- we do that, Paul says, through strict training -- through self-control -- by mastering our emotions, impulses, appetites, and desires

            -- and here is where we most of us fail -- this is the realm of the Spiritual Resolution Rebounder -- most of us find we just cannot exert the self-control we need to do this Christian life -- you know why? -- because you can't -- you aren't supposed to

            -- herein lies the rub -- the paradox of biblical self-control -- there is a difference between worldly self-control and the self-control the Bible urges us to wield

            -- as the world defines it, self-control is mastery over self -- it is inherent power over self -- it is us taking our willpower and using it to stop us from doing something or forcing ourselves to take up a new habit -- it is all about self-reliance -- and that is why New Year's resolutions fail and that is why so many people fail in their spiritual lives -- they are trying to do Christianity in their own power

            -- biblical self-control is different -- biblical self-control is based on surrender -- surrender to a higher power

            -- everyone in here agrees that our willpower and our self-control is lacking, right? -- so if we can't do it -- if we don't have the power within us to overcome sin or to walk in holiness or to love the unloveable -- then what do we do?

            -- we turn to God and depend on His power and strength to do what we can't do -- remember, biblical self-control is a fruit of the Spirit -- it is not something we can do on our own -- it is something that comes from the Spirit through us

            -- when the Bible talks about self-control, here is what it means:

            -- first, it means you die to self -- this goes back to our goal and purpose in running the race -- before we became a Christian, we lived for and worried about ourselves -- now, as Christians, our focus should be upwards and outwards -- up towards God and out towards our neighbors

                        -- so we have died to self -- we no longer live for ourselves -- it's not about us -- it's about Him

            -- secondly, we change the direction of our will and our desire -- this where the "control" part of self-control comes in -- rather than letting our self determine what direction we go, we surrender control to God and choose to let Him direct our will and desire -- as Jesus said in the Garden of Gethsemane, "Yet I want your will to be done, not mine"

            -- and, finally, we rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish the task -- we realize we can't do it, so we ask Him to do it through us -- and if our goals and our purpose and our will is to know God and to glorify Him, then the Holy Spirit will give us the strength and power to make it happen

            -- self-control in the Bible is about surrendering our self to God -- it's about giving up control, so God can work through us -- when we quit trying to do it on our own and in our own strength, it is then that we start to see success in our Christian life

            -- verse 26

1 Corinthians 9:26-27 (NIV)
²⁶ Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.
²⁷ No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

            -- here is why so many people fail when they make New Year's resolutions -- they are well-intentioned, but are running aimlessly -- they have no clear goal in mind

            -- let me give you an example -- the reason why the gym is so full in January is because a lot of people have made a resolution to go to the gym in the new year -- but that's it -- their goal was to go to the gym, which is not a sustainable goal -- they have no plan -- they're not training for a purpose -- and so they fail

            -- the people who make it stick are those whose goal is not to go to the gym -- but those who go with a definite plan -- "I want to lose twenty pounds by summer and this is how I'm going to do it" -- and then they come up with a plan to reach their goal -- I'm going to walk on the treadmill for thirty minutes a day -- I'm going to eat a healthy meal -- I'm going to quit eating fast food

            -- you see the difference? -- knowing the goal -- knowing the real purpose they are there -- let's them develop a plan to meet that goal -- they're not just running around doing this and that, but are following specific steps to win the prize of losing twenty pounds by the summer

            -- Paul says he does not run like a man running aimlessly -- he doesn't fight like a man beating the air -- he has a definite goal in mind and he is aiming for that goal

            -- he has a plan and is controlling himself and his desires -- he is overcoming his own personal desires and wishes and temptations in order to run the race with purpose -- everything he does is for a reason -- to know God and to glorify God in his life

IV.  Closing

            -- I know it seems like a minor point, but it's important -- you have to remember the goal of knowing God and glorifying Him in order to make any lasting change in your life

            -- a few years ago, I made a resolution to read through the Bible in a year -- good, spiritual resolution, right? -- no, it wasn't -- what was the reason I wanted to read through the Bible in a year? -- to fulfill that goal -- to be able to say, even just to myself, I read through the Bible this year

            -- and, do you know what happened? -- it didn't stick -- I started off well -- made it through January and then I started missing days and not having enough time to get it done and I didn't finish -- it's because the goal was about myself and I was trying to do it in my own strength

            -- this year, I decided to read through the New Testament, but I'm doing it for a different reason -- I'm doing it because I realized I haven't been spending time with God on a daily basis like I should -- so I'm not reading through the New Testament just to read through the New Testament -- I'm reading through the New Testament to know God and to spend time with Him

            -- and do you know what's happening? -- not only have I found time to read the New Testament every day, but I've also gotten so excited about spending time with God in God's word that I'm also reading through the Psalms and the Proverbs

            -- because my focus is different -- because my purpose and goal are different -- I am succeeding where I failed before -- this is the difference between biblical self-control and worldly self-control

            -- the virtue of self-control -- the fruit of self-control -- is not exerting control over yourself but giving yourself up, surrendering yourself to God, and seeking to glorify Him with your life

            -- as I close, I want you to take a moment and just think about an area of your life where you need to exert self-control -- maybe your body -- your mind -- your emotions -- your time -- your finances -- your tongue -- your relationships

            -- think about a part of your life that is not right -- a part of your life that you need to give back to God -- and then I want you to begin doing that right now -- by surrendering that part of your life to Him

            -- not because you want victory over that sin or over that bad habit -- but because you want to glorify God in that area of your life

            -- and then ask the Holy Spirit to give you the power to make a change there

            -- the key to self-control is in defining the goal -- and for the Christian, that goal should always be to know and to glorify God -- not for any selfish desire -- but for His kingdom alone

            -- let us pray

 -------------------------------------

1 Ten Essential Virtues -- https://www2.cortland.edu/dotAsset/299043.pdf

SERMON: TESTED AND APPROVED: JUSTICE

1 March 2015

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Nehemiah 5:1-13

Nehemiah 5:1-13 (NIV)
¹ Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their Jewish brothers.
² Some were saying, "We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain."
³ Others were saying, "We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine."
⁴ Still others were saying, "We have had to borrow money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards.
⁵ Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our countrymen and though our sons are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others."
⁶ When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry.
⁷ I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, "You are exacting usury from your own countrymen!" So I called together a large meeting to deal with them
⁸ and said: "As far as possible, we have bought back our Jewish brothers who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your brothers, only for them to be sold back to us!" They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say.
⁹ So I continued, "What you are doing is not right. Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies?
¹⁰ I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let the exacting of usury stop!
¹¹ Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the usury you are charging them--the hundredth part of the money, grain, new wine and oil."
¹² "We will give it back," they said. "And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say." Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised.
¹³ I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, "In this way may God shake out of his house and possessions every man who does not keep this promise. So may such a man be shaken out and emptied!" At this the whole assembly said, "Amen," and praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.

            -- this morning, we are continuing in our sermon series called "Tested and Approved" on the cardinal virtues of the Christian life -- so far we have looked at the virtues of wisdom, courage, and self-control -- this morning, we are going to look at the virtue of justice

            -- unlike the other virtues we have discussed, the virtue of justice is not merely a change we make in ourselves -- it is a change we make in the world -- it is not just about us becoming better people -- it is about us taking up the  mantle of responsibility as Christians in this world to make it a better place

            -- to define what we mean by justice is difficult -- the best description I found was related to the Jewish word "shalom" -- typically, we think of shalom as meaning peace, but it means much more than that -- shalom speaks to serenity and harmony and restoration of the whole -- it means to put things right -- to do what is right -- to restore a right balance within and without

            -- when we think of justice in these terms, we see the justice of God portrayed through the cross of Christ -- when sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, what was good became corrupted -- and it took God's justice through Christ to make it whole again -- to make things right

            -- so the virtue of justice can be thought of as the restoration of life to God's holiness and righteousness -- and this can be internal -- as we seek to make our lives reflect the righteousness of Christ -- to be holy as He is holy -- and it can be external -- as we seek to employ the will of God around us to change this world and the lives of those around us

            -- so what does this mean to us as Christians today? -- what does justice look like in a world that has become shaded with grey rather than black and white values?

            -- a few years ago, the ABC Primetime News Show "What Would You Do?" did a compelling episode on public displays of rage, with angry boyfriends verbally abusing their girlfriends in a public park

            -- in the first segment, the woman was a petite African-American who was sitting on a bench next to a jogging trail while her boyfriend, a tall white man, was screaming at her, "Sit down!  What do you mean I'm scaring you? Sit down!"

            -- several people witnessed the scene -- a few stopped and watched -- one man stopped and raised his hand like he was going to say something, but the boyfriend turned to him and said, "Stay out of it!" and he turned away

            -- finally, one lady heard the screams and turned to the couple -- "What's going on?" she asked -- when the boyfriend said, "Ma'am, mind your own business.  We're having a...," she cut him off and said, "I'm not going to mind my own business when I see you abusing her."

            -- in another segment of the show, the producers changed the dynamic of the couple, with the boyfriend being an African-American and the girlfriend being a white woman -- in this situation, the boyfriend was trying to drag the girl off the bench while onlookers watched -- most didn't react

            -- but as a male jogger passed by, the boyfriend kicked the girl and the jogger immediately went into action -- he yelled, "Hey, leave her alone!" and when the boyfriend turned to confront he jogger, he didn't back down but stood up to him -- "In no situation do you kick a girl!" he said -- before the situation escalated any further, the producers stepped in to end the segment and let the jogger know what was going on¹

            -- getting back to the premise of the show, what would you have done? -- how would you have reacted? -- how would Jesus have reacted?

II.  Scripture Lesson on Justice (Nehemiah 5:1-13)

            -- I want us to take a moment and look at this passage from Nehemiah, one of my favorite books in the Bible, and see what we can learn about the virtue of justice from his example       

            -- to give you the background for this passage, Nehemiah was the royal cup-bearer for the Persian emperor King Artaxerxes, whose empire included Judah and the city of Jerusalem -- Nehemiah was Jewish, part of the descendants of the Israelites who had been captured and brought to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar and subsequently put under the rule of the Media-Persian Empire when Babylon was defeated

            -- Nehemiah heard of the condition of Jerusalem -- how the city and the temple had fallen into disrepair and how the wall that surrounded the city had been broken down during the various sieges and battles that had taken place -- in his days, the life of a city depended on the security of the wall around them -- when raiders or attackers came against the people, they would retreat inside the security of their wall for protection -- it would also let them safely defend themselves from attacks that came from the outside

            -- the broken walls of Jerusalem meant that the people there lived in fear, poverty, and insecurity -- they were not protected from those who sought to harm them and they would never grow in wealth or power because others would always have the ability to just come in and take what they owned

            -- so God put it on Nehemiah's heart to go to Jerusalem to repair the walls and to restore the city to its former glory -- as this passage opens, we see Nehemiah in Jerusalem overseeing the repairs -- the Jews had already faced down the opposition from the Gentiles in the land as they began the project -- but now the Jews were facing difficulty from another source

            -- look with me here at Nehemiah 5, starting in verse 1

Nehemiah 5:1-5 (NIV)

1 Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their Jewish brothers.

2 Some were saying, "We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain."

3 Others were saying, "We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine."

4 Still others were saying, "We have had to borrow money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards.

5 Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our countrymen and though our sons are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others."

            -- under Nehemiah's leadership, the people of Jerusalem had undertaken the repair of the walls of the city above all else --Nehemiah had helped them to see that their lives would never truly prosper -- that things would never be made right -- until the walls were rebuilt

            -- and, keep in mind, this was a spiritual rebuilding as well as a physical rebuilding -- the walls they were building were made of stone and wood and mortar -- but they represented the kingdom of God in the lives of the people of Israel -- for decades, the people had chosen to live outside the walls of God's protection -- apart from His promises -- apart from His righteousness -- and now Nehemiah is urging them to restore their spiritual lives by rebuilding their reliance on the promise of God in their lives

            -- he understood how important this was -- so he had the people working on the walls and on their relationship with God night and day -- but the problem we see in these verses is that the people did not have the resources to live and make ends meet without working in the fields and getting grain for their families

            -- so to provide for their families, some had mortgaged their farms and their vineyards and their homes -- others had to borrow money from wealthier Jews -- and as the lenders demanded payment and excessive interest on the loans, the people were suffering to the point where they were literally having to sell their sons and daughters into slavery to pay their debts

            -- without a doubt, this was a grave injustice in the land -- the lending practices and the harsh demands for repayment actually went against God's law -- the term we see in this passage of Scripture is usury -- usury is the act of charging excessive interest -- there is nothing wrong with lending people money -- there is nothing wrong with asking people to pay back a reasonable amount -- but to charge them excessively in their need is wrong -- it's usury -- it's condemned in the Bible as evil

            -- so the people brought the issue to Nehemiah -- the question is what to do about it?

            -- verse 6

Nehemiah 5:6 (NIV)
⁶ When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry.

            -- if injustice doesn't make you angry, then you need to evaluate your relationship with the Lord -- we see Jesus become angry many times in the gospels -- always in response to injustice -- He became angry in the temple as the money-changers were cheating the people and turning God's temple from a sanctuary and house of prayer to a den for thieves -- He became angry at the apathy of the Pharisees and their adherence to the law while men and woman remained crippled by disease on the Sabbath -- He became angry when the storms of life came against the people and the priests and the leaders did nothing to help

            -- injustice should make us angry -- injustice should awaken within us a desire for restoration and healing -- injustice should make us want to take action

            -- last night, Kim and I went to see the "American Sniper" movie -- and at the start of the movie, you see a scene from Chris Kyle's childhood where his father is teaching his two sons about finding their place in this world -- he borrowed an illustration from Lt Col Dave Grossman, the author of "On Killing"

            -- Grossman said there are three kinds of people in life -- first, there are the sheep -- "kind, gentle, productive creatures who only hurt one another by accident" -- next, there are the wolves -- "and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy" -- as Grossman puts it, "There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds"

            -- but, finally, there are the sheep dogs who live to " protect the flock and confront the wolves"² -- in the movie, Chris Kyle's father encouraged his sons to be sheep dogs -- and you see this thread of responsible protection throughout the life of Chris Kyle as portrayed in the movie

            -- we see Christians in the Bible referred to as sheep, but I think we have misunderstood what Jesus and the Holy Spirit meant when He called us this -- Jesus called for us to be sheep in the sense that we were to be unified as one flock -- one people -- under His protection and Lordship -- we were to look to Him for restoration and redemption and healing and not to ourselves

            -- but I don't believe He meant us to live as sheep in a world of wolves -- I think the calling of Christians in the Bible carries with it the responsibility to make wrong things right -- to stand up for the poor and the orphan and the widow -- to speak out against what is wrong -- to be the sheep dogs who protect the sheep and lead them to the Father

            -- go back to verse 6 again

Nehemiah 5:6-13 (NIV)

⁶ When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry.
⁷ I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, "You are exacting usury from your own countrymen!" So I called together a large meeting to deal with them
⁸ and said: "As far as possible, we have bought back our Jewish brothers who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your brothers, only for them to be sold back to us!" They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say.
⁹ So I continued, "What you are doing is not right. Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies?
¹⁰ I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let the exacting of usury stop!
¹¹ Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the usury you are charging them--the hundredth part of the money, grain, new wine and oil."
¹² "We will give it back," they said. "And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say." Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised.
¹³ I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, "In this way may God shake out of his house and possessions every man who does not keep this promise. So may such a man be shaken out and emptied!" At this the whole assembly said, "Amen," and praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.

            -- in these verses we see Nehemiah's response to injustice -- and the actions he takes can be considered a framework for our own response to injustice today

            -- first, I want you to see that Nehemiah took action -- he didn't just get angry -- he didn't just fire off a letter to the editor or post something on Twitter or Facebook of Instagram -- he did something about it -- he took action

            -- studies have shown people who post about an injustice or a cause on twitter or any of the social media are less likely to actually get involved. -- Just putting a bumper sticker on your car is not an act of justice

            -- it takes determination and commitment to make a difference in the face of evil and injustice in our world today -- apathy is the biggest supporter of injustice in our world today -- as Nehemiah shows us in this passage, you must get involved

            -- next, Nehemiah went to the source of the conflict -- to right a wrong you must first identify the wrong -- in this case, Nehemiah went to the nobles and officials and accused them of doing wrong by their brothers by exacting usury from them

            -- he pointed out to them exactly what they were doing wrong in hopes they would repent of their actions on their own

            -- when that didn't work, Nehemiah brought the issue before the entire community -- he lays out the wrongness of their actions in light of God's redemptive purposes -- he tells them, "God has redeemed us from bondage -- He has led us to buy back our brothers who were sold into slavery to the Gentiles -- and now you are putting them back into bondage again"

            -- he appeals to the Law of God and tells them, "What you are doing is not right!" -- God's law -- God's word -- is the standard that we must follow in our lives -- as the people of God, the Israelites were to follow God's word and to seek His will and to be obedient to His commandments -- the problem was not in the lending to the Jews in need -- the problem was in the usury -- these nobles and officials were violating God's commands in regards to usury and were putting their fellow Jews into bondage

            -- Nehemiah appeals to the law of God and says, "You are wrong in what you are doing"

            -- and, finally, Nehemiah calls them to repent -- to turn from their evil ways and to make restitution to the Jews for their wrong actions against them -- "return to them all that you have stolen through usury -- release them from their chains -- remember your witness before God and before your countrymen and before the Gentiles"

            -- in verse 13, when Nehemiah shook out the folds of his clothes and said, "May God shake out of His house and His possessions every man who does not keep his promise" -- this is actually speaking a curse onto those who refused to repent or who went back to perpetuating injustice on the people again

III.  Responding to Injustice Today

            -- as Chris Surber points out, all too often when we see injustice today, we tend to turn a blind eye towards it -- we do nothing to correct the wrong -- we do nothing to speak God's word and will into the situation

            -- Surber says that believers often default into one of three basic categories when injustice is perceived: 

            (1) "We say that “this will all be fixed when Jesus returns.”" -- we just watch and wait and do nothing

            (2) "We resign ourselves to the notion that “since God is sovereign, all of this must be a part of His plan.”" -- we just shrug our shoulders and say, "this is the way God wants it -- if He wanted to change it, He would" -- this is the karmic response to evil and injustice

            (3) "We say simply, often in honest exasperation, “what can I do? I can’t do anything about it. I’ve got my own problems.”"³

            -- none of these responses are right -- the message of the Bible is that God cares for the poor and oppressed -- God calls us to take action against injustice -- it is our duty to provide for and protect those in need as best we can, regardless of the personal cost -- apathy and ignorance are no excuse -- we will be judged based on how we treat those around us

            -- when we see injustice, we must take action -- we must do something

            -- as we see in this passage from Nehemiah, there are several steps we are to follow when we see an injustice taking place:

            -- first, take immediate action -- step in to alleviate the immediate injustice and harm you see occurring -- this can mean stepping in to meet the physical needs of a person -- to give them food and clothes and shelter -- this can mean stopping violence -- this can mean removing a person from a harmful situation -- whatever form injustice takes, we must take action against it

            -- secondly, we need to identify the source of the injustice and appeal to the source for relief -- perhaps those who are inflicting an injustice on someone are unaware of their actions -- perhaps they don't understand the harm they are doing -- perhaps they just need to be shown the wrongness of their action

                        -- injustice cannot be solved by simply treating the symptoms -- the injustice must be resolved by getting to the root of the problem -- and we do this by identifying the source and trying to make a change at this point

            -- third, if we are unable to effect change on our own or if the party of the injustice is unwilling, then we need to appeal to the community as a whole -- this is part of the function of government -- God has given authority and responsibility to the government to take care of the people -- and we can appeal to the government for redress and assistance in righting wrongs at their source in order to remove injustice in the land

            -- finally, we need to speak the word of God into situations of injustice -- we need to hold up God's law as our guide and show the perpetuators of injustice that what they are doing is not just wrong, it is evil -- we need to appeal to their spirits and pray that God will lead them to repentance -- this implies that we know God's word ourselves -- that we are striving to become moral and just and holy in our own lives and that we are seeking to reflect God's justice to the world around us

            -- moral wrong cannot be corrected through legal actions -- you can only fix the morals of a person or a country through a change in heart and spirit -- and we do so by telling others of the word of God and praying for the Holy Spirit to soften and change their hearts and lead them to a place of repentance

IV.  Closing

            -- let me close by sharing with you a story that Erwin Lutzer retells in his book "When a Nation Forgets God" -- one Christian's story of living in Hitler's Germany. The man wrote:

            -- "I lived in Germany during the Nazi Holocaust. I considered myself a Christian. We heard stories of what was happening to the Jews, but we tried to distance ourselves from it, because what could anyone do to stop it?

            -- "A railroad track ran behind our small church, and each Sunday morning we could hear the whistle in the distance and then the wheels coming over the tracks. We became disturbed when we heard the cries coming from the train as it passed by. We realized that it was carrying Jews like cattle in the cars!

            -- "week after week the whistle would blow. We dreaded to hear the sound of those wheels because we knew that we would hear the cries of the Jews en route to a death camp. Their screams tormented us.

            -- "We knew the time the train was coming, and when we heard the whistle blow we began singing hymns. By the time the train came past our church, we were singing at the top of our voices. If we heard the screams, we sang more loudly and soon we heard them no more.

            -- "years have passed, and no one talks about it anymore. But I still hear that train whistle in my sleep. God forgive me; forgive all of us who called ourselves Christians yet did nothing to intervene."⁴

            -- let us pray

----------------------------------------------------------------

1 Public Displays of Rage: What Would You Do? March 11, 2008 By CLEM TAYLOR and NATALIE D. JAQUEZ http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/WhatWouldYouDo/Story?id=4076903&page=1

2 On Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs - Dave Grossman http://mwkworks.com/onsheepwolvesandsheepdogs.html

3 Chris Surber, Sermon: At War with Injustice, http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/at-war-with-injsutice-chris-surber-sermon-on-faith-143256.asp?page=0

4 Erwin W. Lutzer, When a Nation Forgets God (Moody Press, 2010), p. 22.

Defining a "Successful" Church

I was talking with a guy this week about his church.  I hate to admit it, but even as a pastor, I tend to fall into this trap of defining success in the church much as the world defines it and comparing myself to other pastors. 

I couldn't help myself from asking, "So how many people do you have?"  The same question I've been asked many times.  It's a value mark for pastors and for churches.  If your church has more members than another's church, then that means you're more successful, more spiritual, more worthy, than them.  Why else do we ask that question?

Or, if you're like me, the pastor of a microchurch (the hot name for a small church today) who finds out the person you're talking to has more people in his church than you, you can go all spiritual on them.  "Oh, yes, I used to believe a larger church meant more success, but today I have realized that it is important to focus on relationships, and I just cannot have the type of relationship I want with X number of people in my congregation," where X is an imaginary number that is larger than your current congregation size.  For instance, if you have a church of 60 people, then X is 100.  If you have a church of 200 people, then X is 1,000.  Or, if you have a church of 25 people, then X is 50.  You get the idea.

Anyway, I asked this guy about his church -- how many people do you have following you?  "Oh," he says, "I've got a lot that follow me, but there's only twelve that are there every time we gather for worship or teaching."  Twelve.  Could be a new church plant.  Could be a guy focusing on relationship like other microchurch pastors.  Still, I average a little better than that if you count Sunday morning worship along with Bible study, so check one for me.  Still, better find out...  "Been at it long?"  "About three years," he says.  Three years, and you only have 12 people?  Wow.

Time for the next question.  What about your building?  Where do you meet?  You see, that is the other major defining point for success in the religious world today.  Everyone knows you need a building.  And the old adage from the Kevin Costner film, "Field of Dreams," holds true -- "If you build it, they will come."  Build a new church, hang a sign out front, and watch the people come.  It happens.  But then there are those who can't afford a building, so they rent space in a strip mall.  Used to be out of the norm, but now it's acceptable.  Becoming common as the cost of maintenance goes up.  And then you have a few outliers -- those strange meeting places:  doggy day cares, motels, etc.  Makes you wonder...

So, where do you meet, I ask.  Do you have a building or do you rent or what?  "No," he says.  "I just stop where the Father tells me and I preach there.  Usually it's outside, somewhere in nature.  We just find a good spot, I take a seat, and I start to teach."  "That's nice," I say.  "That's weird," I think.  So I try to help.  "You know, if you had a building -- a permanent place -- then maybe more people would come."  "Yes," he says.  "But would they be the right people?"

Interesting.  This guy may be a bit quirky.  Not sure if he's really cut out for the ministry or not.  Probably just another person who was not happy with organized religion.  "So what's your services like?  How many people are you baptizing?"  He replies, "I spend more time just getting to know people and seeing where they are.  They come to me with their sicknesses and I heal them."  [RED FLAG!!!]  "I just tell them about God and try to show them how they should live for Him every day."

Okay, now I see what I've got.  Some guy who has decided to break out of the "church" thing and just promote his own idea of ministry.  He doesn't have a building.   He's only got a handful of people in his church.  He's doing all these healing services and isn't worried about doctrine or teaching the right things.  He acts like he's got these secret powers to heal and a direct line to God.  He's doing this feel-good ministry and "getting close to people."  He thinks church is just about helping people and healing them and showing them how to relate to God.

It's people like this who make a bad name for the rest of us who have been to seminary or Bible school and who know what's right and what should and should not be taught.  He's never going to be accepted by the religious community.  He's always going to be on the fringe.  This guy is certainly not going to be considered successful by modern standards.  Keep an eye out for him and let others know if you see him.  His name is Jesus.

SERMON: TESTED AND APPROVED: COURAGE

25 January 2015

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Acts 20:17-24

Acts 20:17-24 (NIV)

17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church.

18 When they arrived, he said to them: "You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia.

19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews.

20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house.

21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

22 "And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.

23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.

24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

            -- what comes to mind when you think of courage? -- American soldiers storming the beaches of Normandy at D-Day as a hail of German bullets buffets their ranks? -- General Stonewall Jackson sitting calmly astride his horse at the first Battle of Bull Run, as shells and bullets were flying all around him? -- William Wallace taking the field of battle at Banockburn with only a handful of Scotsmen against the might of the English Army? -- the image of the lone Chinese student standing in the street and staring down the tanks at Tiananmen Square?

            -- certainly, those are some of the images of courage that come to mind when we hear that word today -- but what about the story of a young monk who was called to stand trial before the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire -- Emperor Charles V was surrounded by his advisors and representatives from the church at Rome -- "Spanish troops, decked out in their parade best, surrounded the ruler, while bishops, princes and representatives of the great cities [of Europe] filled the rest of the great hall"

            -- on a table beside the monk sat a pile of books written by the monk -- treatises of theology questioning the faith and practices of the Church at Rome -- the monk was asked two questions:  Had he written these books? -- to which he affirmed he had -- and, secondly, was he willing to recant of what he had written or suffer the pronouncement against him by the court of the Holy Roman Emperor?

            -- the monk understood the implication of the question -- "Charles V and the other Roman Catholics present" at the hearing believed the pope to be the spokesman of God on earth -- his word and the practices of the Roman Catholic Church were sacrosanct -- and they "thought the pope should be the final authority in matters of faith and practice" -- to speak against the church at Rome was to speak against the Empire -- and to speak against the church and the Empire was a death sentence

            -- in the silence of the question, "Will you recant?", the monk stood still and then "the young man turned to his accusers and asked for more time" -- they gave him one day to make, what was for him, a life or death decision

            -- the next day the court reconvened and the young monk stood again before the arrayed power of the Empire and the Church of Rome -- the question hung in the room -- "Will you recant?"

            -- to recant meant to affirm the pope and the Church of Rome were the sole dictators of the faith and practice of Christianity in the western world -- but the young monk, a man by the name of Martin Luther, did not believe that -- he believed Scripture should be the final authority in matters of faith and practice

            -- so he "answered his accusers: Some of his books, he said, even his opponents agreed contained edifying teaching about the Bible's message -- Naturally, he would not retract these -- Other of his writings attacked "the papacy and papist teaching," yet to retract them would only encourage tyranny, he said

            -- "In some writings, he admitted, he had attacked individuals, perhaps too harshly. Still he couldn't retract these books because these people defended papal tyranny.

            -- "The examiner rebuked the monk for not speaking to the point, and demanded: "You must give a simple, clear, proper answer to the question: Will you recant or not?"

            -- silence once again reverberated through the courtroom -- "Unless I can be instructed with evidence from the Holy Scriptures... I cannot and will not recant."

            -- Knowing he could be arrested or killed for his answer, he concluded, "Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen."¹

            -- as this story shows, courage takes many forms -- while we typically relate courage to field of valor, the true definition of courage is simply doing what is right and just despite the consequences -- standing against adversity despite the odds

            -- it took just as much courage for Martin Luther to stand before the political and religious power of his day and speak out against the tyranny and injustice of the church as it does for a soldier to take the battlefield

            -- courage is a state of the heart -- a virtue demanded by our Lord and Savior -- it comes from a foundation of faith and is built upon the promises of God

II.  Courage

            -- this morning we are continuing our sermon series, "Tested and Approved," looking at the cardinal virtues of Christianity -- the characteristics -- the behaviors -- we need in order to live out our Christian lives in this world

            -- last week, we looked at the virtue of wisdom, which we said was the core virtue that supported all the others -- this week, we are looking at the virtue of courage

            -- the word courage comes from the Latin word cor, which means “heart” -- So to have courage simply means to have “heart.” -- "God's idea of strength is to have a heart like a lion" -- that's why men who have heart -- like Richard the Lionhearted, the King of England -- are known as men of courage and virtue

            -- so when we read in the Bible the command to "take heart," it is a call to be lionhearted -- it's a call to have courage

            -- but "the courage to do what? -- the courage to do the right thing when all else tells you not to do it -- the courage to rise above your surroundings and circumstances -- the courage to be God's idea of a real man [or woman] and to give of yourself for others when it costs you to do so and when everything tells you to look out for yourself first"²

 
            -- and while there are many passages and many stories in the Bible of men and women of faith and courage -- stories like Peter walking on the water at Jesus' command -- Gideon facing down the Midianites with only a handful of warriors -- Esther approaching King Xerxes on behalf of her people -- and Daniel in the lion's den -- I was led today to another great man of courage -- the Apostle Paul

            -- this passage in Acts 20 concerns one of the most important and moving moments in the life of the Apostle Paul -- Paul is at the end of his third missionary journey and is making his way to the city of Jerusalem in response to the prompting of the Holy Spirit

            -- and while we may not see in this passage the image of courage we usually recognize -- the courage of the battlefield -- the courage of standing in the face of tyranny and injustice -- we do see the courage of faith developed over a lifetime of following Jesus

            -- think about it -- most of us here will never face down an enemy on the field of battle or be called to stand before the court to defend our faith -- we will probably never need the courage of the soldier or of Martin Luther -- but the courage of Paul that we see in this passage is the virtue we should be seeking in our lives -- the courage to stand in our faith against whatever this life may throw our way -- against the daily hardships we all face

            -- as this passage opens, Paul knows his time on earth is short -- the Spirit has told him he would face prison and hardships on this journey -- his very death has been prophesied -- but still he is faithful and turns his face to the end of the journey, pressing on to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus Christ had given him

            -- as his ship stops at the port of Miletus, Paul calls for his friends, the elders from the church of Ephesus, to meet with him there on the shore -- they gather around him, and as they realize this will be the last time they will see him on earth, their tears begin to flow -- they share remembrances of their life together -- they talk about the success of the church and Paul's hope for their future -- he encourages them -- he gives them courage -- to carry on in the face of adversity that will surely come against them -- and then they pray with him as he boards his ship for his last journey to Jerusalem and they say goodbye to their friend and their brother in Christ

III.  Scripture Lesson (Acts 20:17-24)

            -- let's look together again at this passage and see what we can learn about the virtue of courage from this glimpse of the Apostle Paul's life

            -- Acts 20:17

Acts 20:17-21 (NIV)

17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church.

18 When they arrived, he said to them: "You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia.

19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews.

20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house.

21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

            -- as Paul meets with his friends for the very last time and encourages them to stand firm in the future, he reminds them of the example he has given through his own life of faith -- from the very beginning, Paul's courage to persevere in the face of difficulty was evident

            -- Paul had been persecuted by his fellow Jews -- both from within and from outside the church of Christ -- he had stood against the heresies of the Judaizers -- Jewish converts who demanded the Gentiles become Jews if they would seek salvation through Christ -- in the face of their commands on the Gentiles, Paul stood up and said, "No, salvation is by grace through faith alone -- not by works, lest any man should boast" -- Christianity was not Jesus plus Judaism, but Jesus alone

            -- Paul's stand against them is a reminder that the opposite of courage is not cowardice, but conformance -- and sometimes courage is simply the ability to lean into your wisdom and do something different -- to stand against the traditions of religion and what the world says is the right way in order to uphold the true doctrines of faith

            -- Paul had never wavered in his faith when confronted with the schemes and the plots of the Jews against his life, but continued to serve God in the face of floggings and imprisonment and stoning -- through shipwrecks and hardship -- through trials and defeats

            -- we learn from Paul that courage is not necessarily success in all endeavors -- but merely the ability to keep on keeping on -- the will to pick yourself up and keep on doing what you know to be right despite what adversities you face

            -- Paul says he did not hesitate to preach anything that would be helpful -- but that he declared to both the Jews and the Greeks the true gospel of Christ -- courage can be as simple as being obedient to God's word in a Christ-rejecting world

            -- verse 22

Acts 20:22-23 (NIV)

22 "And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.

23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.

            -- courage is facing the unknown without fear because you know that God is with you -- Paul didn't know what awaited him in Jerusalem -- others had prophesied this trip would end in his death -- but Paul didn't fear death

            -- he had faced prison and hardships before -- and the Lord had seen through you -- courage was trusting God to do it again

            -- In John 16:33 Jesus told his disciples, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart -- have courage -- I have overcome the world." -- as Bill Gothard wrote, courage is "acting on the knowledge that He who is in me is greater than he who is against me."³

            -- Paul tells us it was the Holy Spirit Himself who compelled him to go on into the unknown at Jerusalem --  Paul could face the future unafraid because he knew God was with him and he knew God was greater than anything and anyone he was going to face

            -- do you know God is with you? -- as Paul underscores in these verses, courage is the fruit of trusting faith -- without God -- without the faith that God is with you -- courage is not possible

            -- verse 24

Acts 20:24 (NIV)

24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

            -- courage comes from faith and purpose -- Paul knew why he was here -- he knew why God had called him -- he understood his place in the story of God's grace

            -- and leaning on his purpose and calling -- knowing that God was with him and that God undergirded his every move -- Paul had the courage to go forth and finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus had given him

            -- the Bible tells us that without a vision, the people perish -- without a vision, courage perishes -- do you know why you are here? -- do you know what God has called you to do with your life?

            -- Paul knew that God had called him to preach the gospel to the Gentiles and he resolutely completed his task -- finding the courage to continue despite the hardships he faced

            -- knowing why God has called us and trusting He has placed us where He wants us is the seed of courage in our lives -- we must know God and know His presence if we want to live out the life He has called us to live in this place

IV.  Developing the Courage of Faith

            -- so how do you develop the courage of faith? -- how do you build this virtue into your life?

            1.  Begin with the small stuff

      -- several years ago, I read a story from a preacher who had just moved to Houston, Texas  -- he was trying to find his way around the area -- and, normally, he would drive his car -- but a few weeks after he got settled into town, he had to go to the downtown area, and rather than drive his car, he decided to take advantage of Houston's mass transit system -- so, he went down to the bus stop near his home and waited for a bus heading downtown

      -- when the bus got there, he climbed on and handed his fare to the driver -- the driver gave him his ticket and the change and the pastor headed to an empty seat -- When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him too much change back

      -- he sat there and tried to decide what to do -- it was only a quarter -- 25 cents -- he thought to himself, the right thing to do would be to give the quarter back -- it would be wrong to keep it -- it wasn't his -- but then he thought, "What does it matter? -- It's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? The bus company already gets too much fare for a trip downtown -- they'll never miss it -- Maybe I should just accept it as a gift from God and keep quiet."

      -- but, when his stop came and he was making his way off the bus, he conscience got the better of him -- he stopped at the door and handed the quarter to the driver and said, "Here, you gave me too much change."

      -- The driver grinned and took the quarter -- and then he said, "You're the new preacher in town, aren't you? -- I have been thinking lately about starting back to church and someone suggested I go to your church -- so, I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change."

      -- When the preacher stepped off the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, and held on, and said, "O God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter."

             -- to begin developing courage and integrity, begin with the small stuff, for it is the foundation of your life -- don't lie -- don't cheat on your taxes -- don't accept too much change at the register -- don't illegally download music or movies -- your goal as a Christian should be integrity above all

            -- if you can't be trusted in the small things, you can't be trusted at all

            2.  Compassion and Empathy -- Paul says in verse 19 he served the Lord with humility and tears  -- his ministry was paved with compassion and empathy -- but how does that relate to courage, you may ask?

            -- courage is the epitome of selflessness -- courage is the willingness to stand up for others in the face of personal adversity -- if you don't care about someone or something, you will never stand for it -- but if you follow the example of Paul -- if your life is characterized by humility and compassion and empathy for others -- then you will not idly stand by as you see them face injustice and tyranny and evil

            -- this week we took a moment to recognize the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. -- while he is often the face of the civil rights movement, we cannot forget the men and women who stood with him on the front lines -- men and women who willingly took the same abuse and rejection faced by African-Americans -- men and women who chose to be beaten and imprisoned because of their compassion and empathy -- for their stand against injustice and evil

            -- to know people is to care for them -- and to care for them, you must stand for them and serve them -- strength in the service of others is courageous

            3.  Trust God -- this means living on faith, without fear -- 365 times we are told in the Bible, "Fear not" -- and Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:7, "For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." -- the message of Paul is to live in the courage of faith

            -- trusting in the promises of God gives you the ability to walk into the face of danger or into unknown situations with the knowledge that no matter what happens, God is with you -- the worst thing that can happen to you is that you die, but if you die, you go to be with the Lord -- if you can walk through this life without fear of death -- with no fear for yourself -- then you can be courageous in all you do

V.  CLOSING

            -- as I was studying for this message, I couldn't help but think of the Matt Damon movie, "We Bought a Zoo" -- if you remember this movie, Matt Damon's character, Benjamin Mee, steps out in courage to do something the world thought was crazy -- in order to rebuild his family after the death of his wife, he dared to go against the norm in order to live a life that would bring meaning to them all

            -- there's a great quote in this movie that sums up where we need to begin with this virtue of courage -- Mee's son is struggling with fear and anxiety and is unable to muster up the courage he needs to step out and speak to the girl he loves -- Mee tells him, "You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage -- just literally twenty seconds of embarrassing bravery -- and I promise you, something great will come of it"

            -- remember this, the scariest moment is always just before you start -- that is the moment where courage is birthed -- when faith is forged

            -- when we were in Dothan this weekend, we noticed the electronic signs that were all over the place that said, "This year I will..." -- every one of them had to do with courage -- every one of them had to do with standing on the precipice of faith and taking twenty seconds of insane courage and embarrassing bravery to do something different

            -- one sign said, "This year I will finally ask her out" -- another said, "This year I will finish my novel"

            -- what does your sign say? -- what is God calling you to do in this new year? -- what act of courage -- what step of faith -- is He asking you to do that will be the start of something great in your life?

            -- "This year I will... what?"

            -- let us pray

-------------------------------------

1 Mark J. Galli, "Adventures In Time Travel: Need Courage? Hope? Inspiration? Take A Trip Through Church History."  Discipleship Journal

2 Eric Metaxes, Seven Men and The Secret of their Greatness

3 Cynthia Heald, "How To Be A Courageous Christian Woman" -- Discipleship Journal - Sept/Oct 1981