Am I a brave heart?
Text: Acts 4:1-22
Theme: Character Development/ Courage
· Video Clip from the Wizard of Oz – (Starting @ 48.00 – End @ 52.23)
· The sad sight of a lion with a fearful heart. Courage – “If we only had the nerve”,
· Why focus on this particular character quality? I mean there are so many traits we could spend time on during this series. I am convinced more in more in these days and especially in our secular culture, that courage for the Christ follower is compulsory. It is not optional. To follow Jesus Christ requires courage. Courage to stand up. Courage to speak out. Courage to act. Courage to change. Courage to hold a belief and opinion that is not popular. Courage to speak a message that often offends people. It was William Penn who said: “Right is right, even if everyone is against it, and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it.”[1] It takes courage to live with a motto like that!
· Courage is compulsory for the Christian because Jesus himself told us that following him would mean persecution and suffering. It would be the road less traveled. Jesus told us to consider the cost before making a decision to follow because it is not going to be a walk in the park. Courage will be required. Every new believer needs to know, every person in the midst of making a decision to follow Christ needs to know that following Jesus Christ is not for the faint of heart, it is for the brave of heart.
· Paul – Brave heart soliloquy
· William Wallace was a courageous man and a courageous leader. A lion heart. A brave heart. Because of his courage and vision for freedom we know his story and continue to be inspired by it.
· COURAGE — the strength of purpose that enables one to withstand fear or difficulty. Physical courage is based on moral courage—a reliance on the presence and power of God and a commitment to His commandments.
· This morning I’d like us to dwell on three sword points when it comes to courage.
1. The courage of Christ our leader. We could talk about many examples of courageous leaders in the Bible: Abraham, in leaving his homeland to follow the call of God, his courage to offer up his son Isaac; Joshua in leading Israel into the promise land; David facing Goliath, David’s mighty men of valor; Gideon, in destroying the altars of Baal; Nehemiah in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem; the three Hebrews, who refused to bow down to the image of Nebuchadnezzar; Daniel, in persisting in prayer, regardless of the law against praying; Peter in leading the first church of Jerusalem; we could go on and on; but let’s simply reflect on the courage of our leader, our Master – JESUS. The courage it took for him to come to us, to identify with us, to make himself nothing. Consider his courage in fearlessly preaching the good news of the Kingdom to his own people who for the most part did not receive him; the courage to suffer for us, to endure ridicule and torture, to hang on a cruel cross and bleed and die for us, the courage it took to love us with no guarantee of love reciprocated. Courageous love. It all took guts! Jesus is the bravest heart that ever lived. Now look at his life within his followers – our second sword point.
2. The courage of Christ within His followers. Our text this morning Acts 4 – What a transformation! What has happened here? Left to themselves they would still be shaking in an upper room somewhere. No, this is a transformed group of followers because of Acts 2. And here they are 2 chapters later, vs. 13 ff. . . “ What’s made the difference? What made them so brave of heart? “vs. 13 – “they took note that they had been with Jesus”. Christ within! It is the empowering Spirit of Christ within that seeks to fear only God and not man. And so, right here we have for the first time, the persecution of the Christian church beginning. Faint of heart this morning? Afraid to go on. Afraid of the consequences of following Jesus. Afraid to confront the person? Afraid to speak your mind or stand up to the wrong? Afraid to stay the course in seeking justice. Well let’s keep in step with the Spirit of the indwelling Christ. A spirit of courage! Are you feeling powerless in your circumstance? Hopeless in the storm? Courage my friend. Stay the course. Hold the line! Now I’m not talking about a “find in yourself, pull up your socks” type of courage. No, I’m talking about the courage of the indwelling Christ Himself. Someone has said that “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear”. That’s where Christ leads us to – at points in our lives, when there is just something way more important than letting fear keep you from it. At those points the lion heart within must pounce. . Tobias Smollett has said: “To bravely dare is to sometimes risk a fall”. Better to risk and fall than to not risk at all. Another has said, “Courage is not freedom from fear, it is being afraid and going on”. It is Christ in the garden. Daniel bowing to pray in the shadow of the lion’s den. Courage in Peter and John this morning, bold and fearless facing persecution. Courage for us as Christ followers comes from the life of Christ within us.
3. The courage of Christ commanded. Joshua 1:6-8. I counted 17-18 times in the NIV the specific command to “be strong and courageous” or “take courage”! When it comes to following Him, God commands us to be strong and courageous. Through it. Over it. Under it. Think of a soldier. In a dangerous, life threatening situation, a soldier doesn’t have the time or the luxury to think about the situation, to consider the options, to find an easier way out. No way, when the command is given “Soldier, move out” you just move. On D Day, when those metal ramps fell down on the landing crafts on those beaches, you couldn’t hesitate and say, “No I don’t think so, I’ve changed my mind, I didn’t sign up for this, I think I’ll go home now”, no those gates clanged down, the bullets rained all around and you advanced forward – live or die, you advanced! A soldier is trained to take orders from your commander, so when the command is given there are no questions, no hesitation – you go! Listen to Paul’s advice to Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter 2:
You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. 3 Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer. 5 Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. 7 Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.
· Our command is to be courageous. To be a brave heart. Courage is supplied by the Holy Spirit, through prayer – boldness is given! Leaders who make a difference are leaders of courage. Christians that impact their world are people of courage. People who desire change in their lives and go for it are people of courage. Churches that are used by God to bring transformation are churches of courage.
· Courage. John Wesley said, “Give me a hundred men who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I will shake the world. I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; and such alone will overthrow the kingdom of Satan and build up the Kingdom of God on earth.”
· The record on the tomb of John Knox is, “Here lies the man who never feared the face of clay.”
· Of the memorials in Westminster Abbey there is not one that gives a nobler thought than that inscribed on the monument to Lord Lawrence—simply his name, with the date of his death, and these words: “He feared man so little because he feared God so much.” That’s a Peter and John type of faith.
· Jesus you told your disciples to “take courage, it is I, do not be afraid”.
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[1]Tan, Paul Lee: Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations : A Treasury of Illustrations, Anecdotes, Facts and Quotations for Pastors, Teachers and Christian Workers. Garland TX : Bible Communications, 1996, c1979