Be Strong and Courageous - Week 2

Be strong and courageous feels good. God you things. We know we should do even though it surprised him courage and overcoming fear those experiences Empower us. If they lift us up and they give us a Faith that drives us forward. Last week, he talked about Joshua and let me tell you what I had planned. I was going to do three other sermons about three other Bible characters in relation to being strong and courageous. I thought that's too much. So I decided this morning just to look at all three and kind of compare the differences between them and maybe as we see applications that really be used for us, we could do the same thing in one week that we can ultimately do in the in three when you think of Bible characters, who wear the title strong and courageous. Anybody jump out at you.

Samson was mine. Samsung seems to be always ready to be strong and courageous. He was God's plan to use him just as a leader of Israel to overcome the Philistines and through is alive. He set aside for that but you're very special purpose.

Sometimes you look at it, assertive person, in the passive person, I have trouble, seeing, Simon Samson, as a passive person. Ever. It looks like every single time you read about him at all, he's doing something that's assertive. Aggressive and & Beyond is the guy strong Do you know anything about the story. You know, he's pretty strong and look back at some of the things. And we'll look at Dimensions. Several as you go along here. What you do when they go down to meet his wife. Him now we're giving this little Side Story stabbing his parents. They are he separate from the parents and he's attacked by a lion. And he kills the lion with his bare hands. Well, that's pretty impressive. But think about this, it's clear that his companions don't even know what happened. Cuz it becomes the basis of the riddle disease. Going to use the supposed to gambling literally with the people who use wedding party till the lion. If I take one of my cats to the vet, I schedule an ER, visit afterwards because I just get her into the cat. Carrier house. Cat can do a lot of damage. Samson fights a lion and doesn't even bring it up.

He's barehanded against the lime, it's just unbelievable. And course later on they go by layzie. The carcass there. And this is funny in there and he makes it. He makes the story go with just a little bit further. He's trapped the city of Gaza middle of the night. Lock the gates in the morning. We'll deal with him. No problem, use carries the gates of the city off with him. We have no idea what the gates of the city would have amounted to says, he took the doors, The City Gate together with the to post and told them loose bar and all he with his on his shoulders and carry them to the top of the hill that faces Hebrew now. There's some great debate about whether you would do a heel outside of Gaza and from where you can face toward Hebron, the more accepted rendering is that he carried The City Gate to Hebron, which is 80 miles away. Still want me to look at the Samsung. We don't have to be strong and courageous. What was his? What was his game playing against the Philistines?

That is what I'm so tired of it anyways. So the Philistines one and handed over to them. So their suggestion is that they just do that bind them and give him and say it was kind of like a great idea. It gets me on the inside, what are you going to fight with Noel? Find something and they throw them in there. Just give them to what we call the Lion's Den Leader of the Philistines and kills, a thousand Philistines with a bone that he finds. This guy is strong, the sky is courageous. This guy ought to be a perfect man. I'm gone. What is it? Why not? Bill mystery filled with compassion courageous. Everything has been blessing him in his spirit. For the time. He's been born literally. So, what's the problem?

He's self-centered. The things he wants to do. There are things in life that he wants to pursue their ways in this especially moral life that he sees the Play the God would have go in the way he would prefer to go to be two totally different things. Now later on, as you know, the very end of Simpsons life, he's going to crash the building down on the Philistines. And it says, it's scripture that he killed more in that effort that across its whole life. We know that he comes back to God and that request for help in that situation. So Santa's not a guy who That accomplished anything, he's a judge for a long. Of time, he's a strong leader for a long. Of time, but what if he had been a discipline spiritual man?

What if he has had that personality? What movies has that commitment? Spiritual strength, had matched his physical strength. What kind of leader could you have been? What kind of a powerful influence could he have been? Sometimes we look at the few things, but we look at the things God has given us, and we think that's enough. You know how I've gotten. I got a good brain and I got a good healthy body and I'm in the situation where I can do well in this world. And and I really don't need to do that much better.

Samson had every opportunity to literally be one of the most dynamic people who's ever lived. But something got in the way of that. The second guy I thought I was being strong and courageous. Is a Gideon just because the our introduction to Gideon is so silly. The midianites have overcome the land in order to get some food Gideon is down in a hole trying to thresher weed. I would assume. So his family could have a meal or two baby and he's down there, just kind of hovering, there's a way I see him. He's Encounters of the Angel of the Lord, and the angel of the Lord says to him. The Lord is with you. Mighty warrior. I've said it before, I keep had. You looked over his shoulder. He's highly. He's afraid. He's terrified of the Angel. He thought it was somebody else. And so he is really not able to do what he wants to do because he is so lacking in strength and confidence. You're going to be the one to leave. Me. I'm the one, I'm the youngest one, in the most least, powerful of my family, the pair my family's at least powerful in the clan that class, at least tap for at least fireable and Powerful in the tribe. Not me. It's got to be somebody else. And God takes him on the journey where he helps him to understand. That it's through God, that he can be strong. It's through God, that can be courageous. His first assignment, if you recall, those two tear down the a straw poll at his father's house. So he does. When does he do it? Good night. So that nobody sees The next day when they're saying, what happened to that ruffle, I was in the middle of the night. He didn't have the courage to do that, part of the story. And then I love the patience that God shows with it, because it gives me reason to believe that God's patient with me in similar kinds of situations. But he has a job to do when it has to do with God, shapes the face and the empowerment, and the trust that Gideon's going to have to have. 10000 guys going to fight the battle. Got this whole, that's way too many, you know, that's way, way way to go, but I'm sure guessing that that's Gideon. Saw them leave. He was like, well then we sure could have used those guys. You know, the last thing in the world that he had God says Feliz out and I'll make it wet and the rest of ground be dry and get it does that because if I can see us up, if we do it the other way, Just in case you do it again, your anticipation would be, God was saying, come on, guy has some face, but it's the second time for him. There other times when he gets to get inside information, right before the battle. So, these encourage and very unique and special way. Is Gideon, strong.

Is he courageous enough for God to use him at the specified moment? So, what's his problem? He goes too far.

And just that brief. It seems like Gideon his kind of swelled up and Gideon like what we did when they take the plunder We take the pointer he says I'd like a a golden earring from each of the men and they given that doesn't judge, S8 chapter 7. Gideon made the golden into an effort and he placed it in Oprah. His town all Israel, prostituted themselves by wash meat, worshipping it there and it became a snare to Gideon Ace family. Yeah, we're going to, we're going to put this up here so the people will remember what happened here and that's not wrong. God, frequently, complaints people to do that. But in this situation appears to be a little bit to George Gideon and his family in the worship, and the bomb is front of what these particular people did. So, Gideon steps up. And as God leads him, ever so carefully through his precipice of having courage and strength and God uses him to deliver his people. And yet Gideon's kind of thinking that looks like, look what I did. Let's not forget what I did. And every day when we feel strong and courageous, we're tempted to say, what I did. If I had that kind of strength every day, look at the things that I can do over and over again. but it was a temporary thing that he took more from Denis ever Truelove. The third guy. He probably gets this one to is Peter. Peter, strong and courageous.

He walks on water. Is it Courage involved with that? Yeah, he has the unique.

Situation. Matthew chapter 16, who you said that I have used the crisis of the Living, God, Jesus gives a very high praise for that and just a few forces down. Jesus, explain something else. And Peter says, when I'm not on my watch, Lord get behind me. Satan, this is the same guy that was just giving the absolute right answer about who was the Messiah. And just the next thought process, he's gotten off the track again and let you look at me or you all over and over. See Peter he's got usually two switches, perfect and totally messed up. He just there seems to be like there's nothing in the middle. And I really do like him for that because again, we see God's patience with him. Peter, drew a sword. And cut off the ear of the high priest servant. Add guess simony. He was ready to go to battle. He was ready to go to war. He was ready to put his life on the line. He was ready to leave the charge. Talk about shrink talk about courage and before that night is over. Pitch. Perfect. He's crying. Because he's messed up so very badly.

Do you have strength and courage? He did. And he understands I think finally, when he has this discussion with Jesus, before, Jesus is taking back to Heaven. He understands it's not what he says when he promises What he's able to actually do and perform and he seems to make a commitment to that. He's not perfect from this point forward. But he is a light, a light that is very significant in this that was for the church. is he Peter, do you think Wishy-washy. What did Jesus call him when he first met him?

Rock. You Are The Rock. And of course, South should name him. For what he was, Jesus name him for what he was going to be. He was going to become that rock and he did and the cross his mistakes, he becomes a powerful and effective leader and he becomes a God who is strong courageous.

1st Kings, chapter 18, verse 12 before the people and said, how long will you waver Between two opinions, if the Lord is God, follow him. But if bail is God follow him. But the people said nothing just before, the great encounter amount marmol electricity,

Who are you really? Nice office.

things they were going to go through would persuade them and certainly didn't like you wanted it to Roman 4:20. Yet, he did not waver, you're the references to Abraham, yet. He did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but he was strengthening his face and gave glory to God. Sure. There are some moments of temporary weakness in Abraham, but by and large, this is Abraham's approach in his personality, and his faith commitment. And then finally disposed another package deal. This one is First Peter 5:10. So who's riding it speeder? We've been talking about And the God of all Grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ. After you have suffered a little while will himself. Restore you and make you strong firm. And steadfast.

Peter can say that, because I've done that. And he knows what that road that process is like, all three of these guys who talked about this morning already developmental process. They have strengths that they have weaknesses and uses their strengths and very dramatic voice when they allow him to do that. There are other times when they're human sides begin to show through and then limits what they're able to do. And again, the power here is what happens in our lives to be strong and courageous. What do I have to do to reach that? Where I have to do to make that? Real, where do I have to? What do I have to do to access this patient that God has for me? He is a so many opportunities to grow so many opportunities to strengthen so many opportunities to show that we are courageous. They don't have to be publicly, don't have to be brought, sometimes it is very simple. Yes, is a nose. And very simple boundaries. that we said, and that we live by They had some growing to do. And they did it. I never got service. One last message in the listener's yours.

When Paul is writing the book of 1st Corinthians, he sums it up. By using a passage, it's very much a parallel here. He says, they haven't even tested them at quarter than his summation in 1st Corinthians 16:13 and 14 be on your guard. Stand firm in the face. Be courageous. Be strong. I mean, stop there. He's giving them for good things. One of those translation sucks about the fact that act like an adult grow up. One of the things that he's talking about a year stand firm in the faith, we need like to do that over and over again. Those four things are so critical and then a lot of reading people leave out, this last sentence in verse 14. Impulse is but do everything in love. It's not just about being right on strength and courage. It's not just about having the power. It's about caring. And when we love and care, we recognize that God's power is given through his love and through his care, and it's not there to, to embarrass people. It's there to lift people up. We're not there to be embarrassed or to be humiliated. We're there to conquer the things that lift us up and lift other people up. And God repeatedly puts us in situations where we get to choose which one of those were going to use. One last slide. The next one. And I look at 1000 slide to say be strong and courageous. But the bottom of this, when I really like the wind, God gives you new territory. You did Joshua to okay, this is your new territory, he takes us to places as this is a new territory.

What you going to do with it? Would you play with me? The God, our Father in heaven. We thank you for strength, we thank you for courage, father. We thank you for the moments when we feel those and we utilize those and we thank you for the times when you work for us through Us in positive, ways with those particular items by the, we also know that there many other items that need to be in line that need to be in in conjunction with the strength and the courage. Father, help us to have faith and help us to allow ourselves to grow help us all through our path. We recognize brewing in directions, you would not have us. Go episode, Look to You, probably completely and allow you to make us fully into the Christian. You want us to be before this or your precious son, amen.

This morning, we offered invitation. I will do that right now, if you need to respond to that, please do so while we stay the same together,