COURAGE under Pressure | Be Strong and Courageous: A Call to Bold Faith

[0:00] Courage. Courage is a characteristic that I'd like to exhort you to tonight. I touched on this morning, we talked about the passing away of a Christian man who is quite forthright ministering in university campuses.

[0:23] ! A psychologist, I'm not sure of all of his theology, just to couch it that way, but certainly a man not afraid, a man courageous and we could learn from him in that regard.

[0:38] We're going to go to Joshua chapter 1. And I'll tell you about this courage, this principle of courage, courage under pressure, be strong and courageous.

[0:50] There's many exhortations that way for us to have that bold faith. Joshua 1, it reads verse 9. Here's God's charge to Joshua.

[1:16] Joshua. It's a battle cry. And it's for us too. We could take these words and consider them for our own lives.

[1:29] For our own faith, our own challenges, our own Jordans. Because every believer faces their own Jordan, if you like. A Jordan river. And beyond, giants.

[1:41] Could be giants of fear, of doubt, of trials. God commands us to this quality, courage. And he assures us of his presence, as it reads here.

[1:55] And how can we have that courage? How can we live boldly for Christ in this world at times that cares little for Christ, if not is against him? How can we trust him, the God, who is always with us?

[2:08] Notice, firstly, God's command. Have not I commanded thee? There's a command here. And courage is not optional.

[2:19] It's not an optional extra. It's a command. God commands us. What is biblical courage then? You could think of it as that resolute trust in God, not in yourself, but in him.

[2:34] It tells us here, be strong, be strong. It tells us a firmness, resoluteness, a steadfastness. Be strong. And secondly, be courageous.

[2:47] Be of good courage. Be alert, bold, ready, under pressure. And in the circumstance here, the mantle of Moses is being passed on to Joshua now.

[2:59] It falls upon him. And he's got this tough task ahead. They reckon there's some two to three million stubborn people that he was now called to take over the Jordan into a land of giants.

[3:13] Two to three million. There's no small number. And then they had to cross this Jordan River, 100, 200 yards wide. And to face this trepidation of challenges ahead.

[3:29] And God says, Joshua, have courage. And you think about courage, it's a duty, isn't it? It's a command. God gives us the courage that he demands.

[3:41] Other scriptures reflect that. For example, as Paul exhorted young Timothy, for God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

[3:54] God gives us the courage that he demands of us. And courage is a duty. Courage is an action. A deliberate choice to step forward in faith.

[4:06] It is an action. It is an action. And God empowers what he commands. We see the account of Moses as he kind of made excuses.

[4:18] You've picked the wrong man. Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent. And then God says, who hath made man's mouth?

[4:29] Now, therefore, go and I will be with thy mouth. God assured him, I will be with thy mouth. I know what I'm doing. I've chosen you and I've given you this task.

[4:41] So go and do it. And we think of our Lord that he gives us that ability to do his will. He calls us to share the gospel, to stand for truth, to endure the trials.

[4:55] And fear can tempt us to shrink back like Moses did. Excuse after excuse. You picked the wrong man. But no, God knows what he's doing.

[5:07] And we need to simply trust him. God is faithful to sustain us in what he puts us to. The scriptures like 1 Corinthians 16, 13, where Paul exhorts the Corinthians, Watch ye stand fast in the faith.

[5:24] Quit you like man. Be strong. The sense here, quit you like man, it means act with courage. Be brave. Be mature.

[5:36] Back to Joshua, the wilderness wanderings are over. And now the promised land lies just over yonder, over the Jordan River. And it's a land of promise, but also of peril.

[5:50] I've got to cross the Jordan for one thing. And then beyond Jordan are fortified cities, hostile nations, powerful armies.

[6:01] Think of it for yourself, brother, sister, that we all face our own Jordans. They can seem impossible. Things that face us and we wonder how we're going to even get over, let alone what's beyond there.

[6:15] Maybe it's a new job, a health crisis, situations of troubles, broken relationships, the challenges of just standing godly in a hostile, ungodly world.

[6:27] God commands you, have courage. Be strong. God commands courage. And here are our marching orders as our Lord gave to Joshua.

[6:39] It's the same for us. To step forward in faith, not in fear. To go forward in faith. Be not afraid. Neither be thou dismayed.

[6:50] A couple of things there. Be not afraid. Neither be thou dismayed. Think of overcoming fear. It's natural to be afraid.

[7:02] There are certain situations that make us feel agitated, isn't there? The butterflies. Going for a job interview. You think situations where you're getting interrogated or questioned about this or that.

[7:17] And fear. It's a real factor, isn't it? But fear magnifies the giants. It makes them bigger than what they really are. And then we've got dismay.

[7:29] Dismay. Be not dismayed. Dismay crushes hope. So you've got these two things. Fear and dismay. Think about fear. It can magnify the obstacles. As Joshua faced his fears.

[7:41] Those giants that he had seen them. He knew what he was in for. Those armies that it seemed impossible to human thinking. And you can think of the fears that Joshua had that might have been exaggerated and made bigger giants than what they really were.

[8:01] We face those fears. Maybe it can be fear of rejection. When we do something for God. When we step out in faith. The fear of failure. Hey, I'm probably going to mess up here.

[8:12] I'm going to make a fool of myself. The fear of persecution. Persecution. It's a very real thing as we talked about today, earlier. Think of persecution as a very real thing.

[8:23] And we can get fearful. And then not only fear, but dismay. Dismay is deeper. Be not dismayed. It's that loss of hope. When we're feeling overwhelmed. Dismayed.

[8:34] It's the despair. This brokenness. Be not afraid. Be not dismayed. Dismay is not this despair. This hopelessness. This brokenness. And Joshua could have gotten very dismayed.

[8:45] Because of all that he'd seen. He'd seen how the stubborn Israelites were so rebellious and inclined to wander off and do the wrong thing. And the huge task that lay ahead of these many thousands, couple of million people that he now had the charge of leading.

[9:05] And we can think about people being fearful. And it's a common experience, isn't it? The men and women of God through the word of God. They were fearful. Moses, he doubted as we read.

[9:18] Gideon, he felt small. He felt like he was inadequate. Not able. Elijah, he ran. After miracle after miracle, Elijah ran in fear.

[9:30] Didn't he believe? It's like his faith faltered. He had fear. God says time and time again to you, brother, sister, fear not.

[9:42] Fear not. Fear not. There's a real challenge there. A real charge there. Fear not. Two words. You could write that on your fridge. Fear not. Think of the enemies of courage.

[9:53] You could think of, for example, unbelief. Unbelief. We forget God's promises, can't we? Like the evil report. Israel had that evil report. It was the majority report.

[10:05] If they put it to a vote, hey, we're voting against that. Because the majority was saying, no, this is not going to be possible. And what does it say? We be not able.

[10:16] We be not able to go up against the people for they are stronger than we. We've done the sums. We've done the figures. We've done the statistics. And no, we totally outnumbered.

[10:28] We're totally outgunned. We be not able. And Joshua could have thought of the unbelief there. That was endemic. And it was the majority report.

[10:40] And many believed it. We be not able. Unbelief. It's an enemy of courage. Then you see another enemy of courage. Satan comes and he whispers, you failed before.

[10:53] You failed before. Past failures. I'm weak. I'm failing. I'm inclined to fail.

[11:04] And Satan loves to remind you of your past failures. To make you feel weak. And to discourage the courage that God calls you to.

[11:15] Another enemy of courage is the fear of man. Isn't it? Oh, I've got to confront someone and say something. The fear of man. It bringeth a snare.

[11:26] But whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe. The fear of man. We can be fearful of people. Fearful of doing something that's out of our comfort zone.

[11:37] And in a way, we'll never do anything if we fear man. Will we? Let's be honest. Because we're always going to be fearing what others will think of us. What others will say of us.

[11:50] Their impressions of us. We'll always hold back. It's a snare. It's just going to stop you from doing anything for God. If you're fearful of men more than fearing of God.

[12:04] So what is the antidote of fear? Really, it's faith. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. I will trust in thee, says the psalmist. The antidote to fear is faith.

[12:16] And we could think how it is so true. If we could only but fix our eyes upon him. That he will help us. If we all but trust the one who is all-powerful. The almighty.

[12:27] The mighty God. If we would put our trust in him. Who is so able. Then we need not be afraid. And we can fix our eyes on our God.

[12:40] He's more giant than any giant of men. Greater than any giant. If we just fix our eyes upon him. What time I am afraid. I will trust in thee.

[12:52] Psalm 27.1 says the Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? Whom shall I fear? If God is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life.

[13:04] He's my strength. Of whom shall I be afraid? If God is for you. Who can be against you? Think of that strength. Who is the strength of my life?

[13:15] The Lord is. It's not you. It's not our own. Our own self-reliance. Our own bravado.

[13:27] It's not your self-talk. Or your optimism. It's not your positivity.

[13:38] It's the Lord. The Lord is the strength of my life. What is the reason that we can be courageous?

[13:49] Really courage that rests not in us. But in our Lord. He is the strength of my life. And the courage rests not in you. But in him. In God's presence and his promises.

[14:02] Our text again. For the Lord thy God is with thee. Whithersoever thou goest. Think of the presence and the promises of God. Think of the presence of God.

[14:13] He never abandons his people. He's ever present. He's omnipresent. But I think he's particularly present with his people. And he never abandons his people.

[14:24] Does he? He's always with you. Like God promised Jacob. Behold. I am with thee. And will keep thee. In all places. Whether thou goest.

[14:36] And will bring thee. Again unto this land. God says behold. See this. I am with thee. Over and over again.

[14:47] He promises. I am with thee. And as God promised Israel in captivity. Another encouraging one. Isaiah 41.10.

[14:59] Fear thou not. Why? For I am with thee. Be not dismayed. For I am thy God. Again those two things. Fear and dismay. Fear thou not. I am with thee.

[15:10] 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. God promised time and time again.

[15:23] Fear thou not. I am with thee. Our Lord himself. His name. Emmanuel. Emmanuel. God with us. Very present.

[15:34] And he promises his church. His parting. As he's given the great commission. He says lo. In other words behold. See this. I am with you.

[15:46] Always. Always. Even unto the end of the world. Lo I am with you. Behold I am with you. God's presence. It's a great. Source of strength for us. God's presence.

[15:57] It gives us boldness for every. Challenge. Every battle. I am with you. I am with you. God's presence. Secondly. His promises. God's promises.

[16:08] They are for you. In Joshua 1 verse 5. It reads. God assures. As I was with Moses. So. I will be with thee.

[16:19] With thee. With thee. I will not fail thee. I will not fail thee. Nor forsake thee. God's promises. And he tells us again.

[16:30] In Hebrews 13. I will never leave thee. Nor forsake thee. He's ever present. He's ever faithful. He's not going to let go of you. And he's always going to be with you.

[16:41] And so we can boldly say. The Lord is my helper. And I will not fear. What man shall do unto me. What can they do?

[16:52] The Lord is my helper. And he will never leave me. Nor forsake me. And we can trust God's promises. Can't we? And when we face trials. We can proclaim. If God be for us. Who can be against us?

[17:04] If God be for us. And he is for us. He is for you. When we face trials. We can proclaim it. We can confess it. We can know that. And when we feel weak. We can rest in his promises.

[17:15] Such as this one. I can do. All things. Through Christ. Which strengtheth me. When we're feeling weak. When we're inclined to feel overwhelmed. We can rest in his promises here.

[17:26] That Christ will be my strength. And God promises to give us boldness. Brother, sister. We can think. As I reflect again. Of this recent event. Of someone outspoken.

[17:37] Someone quite brazen. Quite bold. Putting himself literally in the target sights. Can we have that kind of boldness?

[17:48] Boldness. That kind of strength. Of courage. Of courage. Of courage. God promises to give us such boldness.

[17:59] And we can press forward. Knowing that the battle is the Lord's. As it reads in 1 Samuel 17, 47. The battle is the Lord's. Know that. He's won the battle.

[18:10] And he's fighting the battle. He's in the battle with you. And our courage is anchored in God's. Unchanging promises. So we see the presence of God. The. Promises of God.

[18:22] And. We see the power of God too. Know that God's power is with you. As it reads of the early church. As they prayed. It says the place was shaken. Where they were assembled together.

[18:33] And they were all filled with. The Holy Ghost. And they spake the word of God. With boldness. There was prayer there. There was an assembling. There was the filling of the spirit. And.

[18:44] The Holy Spirit. Brother. Know that his power. Is for you. He is with you. His spirit. His spirit's power. And he. Will enable. He will turn fear into boldness.

[18:55] And. Again. God has not given us the spirit of. Fear. But of power. And of love. And of a sound mind. Think of the.

[19:06] Heroes of the faith. Of time. Of scripture. Of history. Missionaries. Such as David Brainerd. He died at 29 years old. He spent.

[19:17] Scarcely any time. On his actual mission field. Because he was afflicted. And passed away. Within. I think months of. Getting there.

[19:28] And yet. He made an impact. Reaching the. American Indians. And David Brainerd. Said this. I cannot. Where I go. Or how I live.

[19:40] Or what I endure. So that I may. Save souls. What courage. To venture into. Some. Isolated place.

[19:51] Away from the comforts. That he knew. To take the gospel. To save souls. There's courage there. Think of his example. And think of the spirit of God.

[20:02] That he can transform. Our own trembling hearts. Into bold witnesses. Think of some examples. Of courage. From scripture. We see David. Versus Goliath.

[20:13] Of course. That familiar one. As David faced Goliath. Trusting God's. Past faithfulness. David knew. That God had delivered him before. And he would deliver him again. And he confessed it.

[20:25] As he faced the giant Goliath. The Lord that delivered me. Out of the paw of the lion. And out of the paw of the bear. He will deliver me out of. The hand of this Philistine.

[20:38] David. New courage. Esther. Demonstrated courage. In Esther 4.16. Esther risked death. To venture into the king's presence.

[20:50] To save her people. There was fasting there. We could conjecture. There was prayer. That she was reliant upon almighty God. As she ventured in.

[21:01] Into this place of risk. Of danger. Of confrontation. And she says. If I perish. I perish. I'm just going to do. That which I must do. And speak up.

[21:12] And stand. And stand. And then we think of Daniel. Another one. Another hero. Of courage. He purposed in his heart. That he would not defile himself. He had the courage.

[21:23] Not to compromise. And then. As they made prayer illegal. Daniel stood firm. Praying boldly. Despite the lion's den. And he trusted God. He says.

[21:34] He says. My God. Has sent his angel. And has shut. The lion's mouths. That they. Have not hurt me. He trusted God. To. Shut the lion's mouths.

[21:45] And. He trusted. God. To deliver him. And then we see. The early church too. The apostles. Peter and John.

[21:56] And they were called. Unlearned. And ignorant men. They were kind of downgraded. They weren't really. Someone. Particularly. Important. Important.

[22:07] As the world. Would reckon. And now. When they saw. The boldness. Of Peter and John. That they were. Unlearned. And ignorant men. They marveled. This was just.

[22:18] Mind boggling. To them. They marveled. And they took knowledge. Of them. What was the difference. That they had been. With Jesus. They had been.

[22:29] With Jesus. What made the difference. And they spoke. With boldness. Because they had been. With Jesus. And God. Enabled them. To proclaim. The. Gospel.

[22:40] To proclaim. Christ. And they tried. To shut them up. The authorities. They tried. To shut them down. To cancel them. But God. Enabled them. To proclaim.

[22:51] Christ. Fearlessly. And they testified. They tried. To shut them up. But they testified. For we cannot. But speak. Which we have seen. And heard. This is courageous faith.

[23:03] Time and time again. Another example. You could reckon. Of Shadrach. And Abednego. Walking into the fire. Trusting God. Even if he didn't.

[23:14] Save them. And they testified. Our God. Whom we serve. Is able. To deliver us. But if not. Be it known unto thee. O king. That we will not serve.

[23:25] Thy gods. Whose ability. Are we trusting in. Our God. Who we serve. Is able. That's our trust. The ability of God. It's beyond any ability. Of our own.

[23:36] Isn't it? They didn't have faith. In their own ability. The one who's able. Is the God. Who we serve. He is able. Not in our own ability. But God's ability. And then you see. Peter.

[23:47] Standing before the. Sanhedrin. The council. He'd been beaten. Bruised. And sore. He had his aches. And pains. Who knows. If he had. A lot of injuries.

[23:58] As he'd been beaten. Severely beaten. And they told them. To be quiet. And they told them. To be quiet. And they told them. To be quiet. And they told them. To be quiet.

[24:09] And they told them. To be quiet. And they told them. To be quiet. Quiet. But he says. We ought to. Obey God. Rather than men. When it comes to the crunch.

[24:20] It's God. That we obey. Isn't it? And it's Paul as well. In his chains. Writing. From the dungeon. For me to live is Christ.

[24:31] And to die is gain. He had that. Resolute faith. That Christ is everything. He is my life. You could reckon of these ones.

[24:42] Of scripture. The courage. That they demonstrated. And then another missionary example. You could think of William Carey. In the 19th century. William Carey.

[24:53] He's called the father of modern missions. And he faced immense opposition. It was kind of an unusual thing. For anyone to think. Of other lands. Of other nations. Of other languages.

[25:05] Yet to hear the gospel. And William Carey. And William Carey. Had a burden. From God. And. Critics mocked his call. To evangelize.

[25:16] They. Told him. Look. That's futile. They tried to deter him. This is something. Unusual. This is. Something.

[25:29] That's not the dumb thing. At that time. Missions was really not a thing. Not a thing. And yet. He persevered. William Carey.

[25:40] Persevered. And he translated the Bible. Into multiple languages. Planting churches. And he declared. Expect great things. From God. Attempt great things.

[25:51] For God. Our trust is in God. Isn't it? That we can trust God. To do great things. And we can attempt. To do great things. For God. We could think of other enemies.

[26:03] Of courage. Enemies that threaten our courage. Unbelief. Unbelief. The Israelites. Unbelief. At Kadesh Barnea. Led to 40 years of wandering.

[26:15] Numbers 14. Unbelief. Is an enemy of courage. We can. Look at the circumstance. We're in. And unbelief. Is going to stop.

[26:27] Our courage. Unbelief. Unbelief says. God cannot. Not. But faith says. With God. All things. Are possible. Faith says. All things.

[26:38] Are possible. If our trust. Is in him. The all powerful one. Then all things. Are possible. If we're in his will. Unbelief says. God's not able.

[26:51] We know that's a lie. Isn't it? Unbelief. And again. Our past failures. Satan uses our mistakes. To discourage us. But grace restores. Grace restores.

[27:03] And. As long as we get things. Straightened out. With him. If we confess our sins. He's faithful and just. To forgive us our sins. And to cleanse us. From all unrighteousness.

[27:14] There's a restoration. With God. You can think of another. Enemy of courage. The mockery of men. It can threaten us. You look at Nehemiah.

[27:26] What he faced. When he was building the wall. People picking on him. Saying. Oh you're not able. A fox is going to knock down. Your flimsy wall. Pack it in.

[27:37] Give it up. Forget it. And he faced that mockery. Of others. When you do something for God. You can face the mockers. The critics. The armchair critics.

[27:49] It's better to be the man in the arena. The one who's going and doing something. Even if you fail. Even if you fall on your face. Just to do something for God. Don't let unbelief stop you.

[28:00] And we can all face another enemy of courage. Is that personal inadequacy. The personal inadequacy. Because when you look in the mirror. You know your faults better than anybody else does.

[28:12] Don't you? I know I could tell you lots of faults about Andrew Craig. I could write a book. Of all of his faults. And we can all face the sense of personal inadequacy. Can't we?

[28:23] Because we know. I know how weak I am. How unworthy I am. How failing. Prone I am. And it's like Jeremiah. He says. Oh Lord God.

[28:34] Behold I cannot speak. For I am a child. Jeremiah knew his personal inadequacy. I cannot speak. I cannot speak. He says. I am a child. I am just a young person.

[28:46] And you know. Young people here. You are the ones. So God can get a hold of you now. You have got a whole. Lifespan. Of work. That you can do. For the glory of God. If God can get a hold of you now.

[28:58] Think of it. And none of us are beyond him. Getting a hold of us. Now. Amen. But we see of Jeremiah. He discounts it. Because of his personal inadequacy.

[29:09] We can all think of reasons why. I cannot do something for God. I cannot. I cannot. But God can. God can. And we need courage.

[29:20] We think of Wesley. He exhorted. One time. John Wesley. Give me 100 preachers. If they're nothing but sin. And desire nothing but God. And I cannot.

[29:31] Whether they be clergymen. Or laymen. They alone will shake the gates of hell. And set up the kingdom of heaven. Upon earth. Wesley had that. Heart. If only we could harness the.

[29:42] Man power. And the woman power. If only we could harness. The people power. Of the people of God. And if they could just. Get enthused.

[29:54] And get. Enlivened. If they could just have the fear of God. That they could shake the gates of hell.

[30:05] And brother, sister. God can shake. The gates of hell. Through you. God can use you. For his glory. There's none of us. Beyond. The ability of God.

[30:17] To use us. So live courageously. Think of how we can live courageously. How can we live? How should we live? In a world that hates the gospel. And a world that thinks nothing.

[30:29] Of killing. One who speaks for the gospel. The world that hates the name of Christ. And even mocks the one who's passed away.

[30:40] Who cared enough to tell others the gospel. We see of this world that is so hostile. To the word of God. God. How should we live in such a world? Let us live boldly.

[30:51] Let us live boldly. It tells again. I like to. Our scripture text. To live boldly. Even when it's costly. Deuteronomy 31.

[31:03] Be strong and of a good courage. Fear not. Nor be afraid of them. For the Lord thy God. Here it is. That they go with thee. He will not fail thee. Nor forsake thee. Obey boldly.

[31:14] Hear the word of God. And act upon it. Obey boldly. Obedience. It requires courage. We can look through the word. And think.

[31:25] Oh these promises are for someone else. Or we can say. Actually it's jumping out at me. God illumines it. And he. Quickens it. To our thinking. Hey God's talking to me.

[31:37] And I can. Take that. And act upon it. And obey the word of God. Obey boldly. And it takes courage. As we can trust his strength. God will equip us.

[31:48] He will enable us. He will. Open the doors for us. And the opportunities. So obey boldly. Also witness boldly. Witness boldly. Paul prayed.

[31:59] He said. Pray for me. That utterance may be given unto me. That I may open my mouth boldly. To make known the mystery. Of the gospel. Think of how we can proclaim Christ boldly.

[32:11] In. In. The travels of our own life. In the. Circle of influence. That each one of us have.

[32:22] How can I. Witness boldly. In this culture that mocks Christ. And we know. There's workplaces that I've known. It can be difficult in certain circumstances.

[32:34] The culture that we live is so. Christless. And Christ rejecting. Yet. Take the opportunities. That come. And trust him. To speak truth in love. And trusting the spirit.

[32:46] For the words. So. Witness boldly. Persevere boldly too. Trust God through your trials. Just because trials come. It's not reason. To.

[32:58] Give up. Give up. Just because you face trials. Don't quit. Persevere boldly. Psalm 27 14. Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage.

[33:09] And he shall strengthen thine heart. I say. On the Lord. Be patient. To keep waiting. Keep waiting. Keep waiting.

[33:20] Keep waiting. And he shall. Strengthen thine heart. Wait. Sometimes you've just got to. Hang in there. When it seems like the answers aren't coming. When it seems like. It's hard.

[33:32] Because it seems like things aren't happening. How we want them to. As quickly as we want. Them to happen. Wait on the Lord. And be of good courage. Persevere.

[33:43] Trust God through your trials. And also we can have that. Sense where we're going to stand up boldly. We're going to take a stand. Wherever we are. Wherever we are. It tells us that the righteous are as bold.

[33:55] As a lion. That's telling you. Righteous ones here tonight. And you that are saved are the righteous. It says you're as bold as a lion.

[34:07] Think of that. They can stand as a lion would stand. A formidable stand. A stand of power. And stand boldly. Jonathan Edwards had a number of resolutions.

[34:21] And. You could look at them. You can look them all up. And. I think someone's paraphrased this. These two here. But. It's put two resolutions here.

[34:32] I will live for God. Number one. Number two. If no one else does. I still will. It's a resolution. Isn't it? To have a resolution. To have a resolve.

[34:43] I'm going to stand for God. I'm going to live for God. Even if no one else does. I'm going to stand. Even though it's hard. Even though I feel like I'm the only one. I'm going to stand. And I'm going to keep on standing.

[34:55] I still will stand. How do we cultivate that kind of courage? We can have the word of God. That builds courage. As Joshua was exhorted.

[35:08] At the same time. Of the courage that comes. From the word of God. The word of God. And we can build courage. As we take the word of God. And take it to heart.

[35:20] Take its promises. And the commission to Joshua. Is this book of the law shall not. Depart out of thy mouth. In other words. You're going to be speaking it.

[35:31] You're going to be speaking it. Not just reading it. You're going to be speaking it. It's not going to depart out of thy mouth. But thou shalt meditate therein. Day and night. You're going to speak it. You're going to meditate therein.

[35:42] Day and night. Day after day. Night after night. That thou may observe to do. According to all that is written therein. For then shalt thou make thy way prosperous. And then shalt thou have good success.

[35:56] Courage comes from the word. You've got a book of encouragement. It's the word of God. When you're feeling low. When you're feeling down in the mouth.

[36:07] When you're feeling like. Oh. This is hard. You've got a book full. Of encouragement. It's the word of God. And encouragement. It's going to give you courage.

[36:18] Alright. And by prayer. We can get encouragement too. We can connect with God's power. Casting all your care upon him. For he careth for you. There's courage when we pray. There's courage when we fellowship.

[36:30] Tell us that iron sharpeneth iron. So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. Fellowship. It's going to help you with boldness. You're going to have someone in your corner. Hey.

[36:41] Come on brother. You can do it. People that are on your side barracking for you. Stirring you on. Encouraging you. Yeah. Keep on. Keep at it. Keep going for it. Don't quit.

[36:52] Keep on going. You've got people slapping you on the back. And marching along with you. Lockstep. Marching together. Encourage. Because iron sharpens iron.

[37:03] And fellowship is going to sharpen your boldness. And of course you've got the Holy Spirit to rely upon. As we know. His spirit. The spirit of God shall rest upon thee.

[37:15] The spirit of wisdom and understanding. Beyond our own wisdom and understanding. We can rely upon the Holy Spirit. Who empowers courage. Think of the one as the ultimate example.

[37:28] Our Lord himself. As he set his face like flint. To the cross. To the hill. Of Golgotha. And he says. Nevertheless. Not my will. But thine be done.

[37:39] He faced the cross with courage. He submitted to the Father. And of course his victory. Makes us more than conquerors. Romans 8.37. Think of it. Brother.

[37:50] Sister. Of your Jordan now. Let's get down to. Your situation. Your Jordan. Your Jordan. It's waiting. Perhaps it's a trial. There's some test around the corner.

[38:01] There's something ahead. That's going to be a bit scary. Stand for truth. Giants loom large. But your God is larger still.

[38:12] And you can cross your Jordan. You can cross your Jordan. His command is clear for you. Be strong. And of a good courage. Know his promises. Know his presence.

[38:24] I am with thee. Whithersoever thou goest. But you might say. It's scary. I don't know what lies ahead. Another witness is David Livingstone. The missionary to Africa. And he said. I am prepared to go. Anywhere.

[38:35] Provided it be forward. Have that mind. Yeah. I am going to keep going forward. Keep going ahead. Keep going. Going on. Going on. Forward. In faith. I am prepared to go.

[38:46] I am going to go forward. And these words are to you. Have not I commanded thee. Be strong and of a good courage. Be not afraid. Neither be thou dismayed. For the Lord thy God is with thee. Whithersoever. You are going to go. He is already there.

[38:57] And these words are to you. I am prepared to go. I am going to go forward. And these words are to you. Have not I commanded thee.

[39:08] Be strong and of a good courage. Be not afraid. Neither be thou dismayed. For the Lord thy God is with thee. Whithersoever. Wherever. You are going to go.

[39:21] He is already there. And these words are to you. As you stand. As it were on the banks. Of your own Jordan. When you face something that is a bit.

[39:32] Overwhelming. And you feel like you can't do it. You wonder. How am I going to get over this. And get through this. Will you obey. Step into the river.

[39:44] They had to step into that river. Before it parted. And they trusted God to part. The waters. The waters. And you can face your giants.

[39:55] Knowing that the battle is the Lord's. He is already there. And he is going to win that battle. Perhaps you are facing a transition. Something that is terrifying. The Lord thy God is with thee.

[40:07] Perhaps you are staring down giants. Of failure. Of sickness. Of pressure. The Lord thy God is with thee. Perhaps you are dismayed and weary. Step into the river.

[40:20] Face your giants. And speak truth. Trust God. The battle is his. He has promised. That he will be with you. Wherever you go.

[40:31] Into the very battlefield. And his command is clear. Be strong. And of a good courage. And his promise is sure. The Lord thy God is with thee.

[40:42] Thy God. If you know him as thy God. He says I am with you. I will never leave you. Nor forsake you. I am going to be with you wherever you go.

[40:53] You can't get away from me. And his promise is sure. And his promise is sure. So brother, sister. Live boldly. Live with courage. Think of these encouraging words.

[41:04] Encourage. In other words. Imparting courage. As I say. This is encouragement. Isn't it? Encouragement. It is going to give you courage. It is like the early revivalists.

[41:15] They were called enthusiasts. It is literally. Entheos. They were full of God. Enthusiasts. Enthusiasts. They accused them of being too enthusiastic.

[41:27] In the revival days. We need some enthusiasm, don't we? Some God in us. Entheos. Enthusiasm. And we think of encouragement. There is courage here in this book for you today.

[41:40] And so know his promise. His presence. Live boldly. Witness with courage. Of course there is tact. Where and when. But witness with courage.

[41:51] Take the opportunities. When God opens the door. Take the opportunity. To witness boldly. Act with integrity. Worship faithfully. There is encouragement.

[42:02] Every time we get together. And pray persistently. Know that God is with thee. Whithersoever thou goest. May we cross our Jordans.

[42:13] And slay our giants. And live for his glory. Knowing that he is going to be with us. Wherever we go. Whatever is around that corner. Whatever is. In that day.

[42:24] That lies ahead. He is with you. And you can be strong and courageous. You can be very courageous. Because God is with you. Amen. Let us pray.

[42:35] Lord we thank you. For your abiding presence. Your abiding presence. And Lord we thank you. That we can trust you.

[42:46] We pray if there is any. In the hearing of this. That have yet to trust you. That they would simply. Call upon your name. That they would call upon the name.

[42:58] Of Jesus. The saviour of the world. The saviour from our sin.

[43:10] The one who knows. Our unworthiness. And yet. Invites us to come. Lord. May we all come unto you.

[43:21] To know your saving. To know your cleansing of sin. Your redeeming power. The blood. The blood. That you shed. That takes all of our sin away.

[43:34] As we simply. Will yield to you. And trust. And have that heart. Mind. Life change. That says. I want you. To save my soul.

[43:46] Lord we pray. That we'll come unto you. The author and finisher of our faith. Lord we pray. Help us to be the people of faith. As Joshua. Had that challenge.

[43:57] And you commanded him. To courage. We think of these days. We live. Of. Some of the trepidation. That's going on. Think of the rejection.

[44:08] Of the gospel. By some. Even the mockery still. Of. All who would call upon your name. The mockery of Bible believers. The mockery of evangelists.

[44:20] Of apologists. The mockery of those. That would simply. Profess their faith. And confess their faith. In a godless world.

[44:32] Lord. That they would come to tremble themselves. And come. To the. Bended knees. To know. You. Lord. Help us to be a part.

[44:44] Of living boldly. Of witnessing boldly. Of. Serving boldly. Lord. Give us the courage. Help us. Not to make the excuses. Like Moses.

[44:55] And Jeremiah. And others. Lord. Who. Just looked in the mirror. And saw their own. Faults. And saw their. Own.

[45:06] Inabilities. But we'll see you. You are well able. You are able. To deliver us. Lord. We praise you. Minister. We pray.

[45:17] Give us the courage. This week. To step forward. In faith. Give us the courage. The boldness. To have a bolder faith. To have a courageous faith. Leaning upon your strength.

[45:30] Empower us. We pray. All for your glory. And honour. And praise. In Jesus name. We ask. Amen.