Grow Up in Courage--#4 in a series

(preached in early February, 2009)

Ephesians 4:15 "But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head—Christ"

You might be wondering, Why should we be trying to grow in courage, of all things? Don't we have religious freedom? What's up with this?

Many Christians in the US are aware that Christians in other countries are persecuted and even killed for their faith, but few are aware of the extent of that persecution. But even here in the US, there are often adverse consequences for taking a stand on Christian principles. Just ask Florida Governor Charlie Crist, and Florida Representative Scott Plakon. In Plakon's very first week in office, he battled to save a program that helps poor pregnant women receive the education and support they need to have healthy babies. Abortion supporters often say that they want abortion to be as rare as possible, but in this case, a program was about to be eliminated that would have left many women with no practical alternative except aborting their children. Plakon and Crist received severe criticism, and even threats, from those who opposed them.

The old hymn, God of Grace and God of Glory, ends with the line "Grant us wisdom, grant us courage..." followed by a different phrase in each of the five verses...here they are:

"Grant us wisdom, grant us courage...for the facing of this hour"

"Grant us wisdom, grant us courage...for the living of these days"

"Grant us wisdom, grant us courage...lest we miss Thy kingdom's goal"

"Grant us wisdom, grant us courage...that we fail not man nor Thee."

Truly these days call for courage!

Psalm 27 gives principles for courage through faith in God:

Ps. 27:1-3 When Christ is our light, salvation, and stronghold, we have no need to fear.

In times of trouble, God says, "Seek My face," (27:8) and He will be faithful (27:10). We are to wait for the Lord (27:13-14).

Psalm 31 also has principles of courage:

Courage is sapped by sin (vv. 10-13)

Repentance and trust in God can restore courage (vv. 14-16)

Because it is God's job to 'repay' we can be strong and courageous (vv.22-24).

Hebrews 3 also has words of encouragement and courage:

"...the builder has more honor than the house..." (v. 3). Verse 6 speaks of holding on to courage and confidence, and the rest of the chapter has warnings against a hard heart.

In John's gospel, Jesus gives plain warning of troubles to come in the latter days. (John 16:1-4, 25-30), and in verses 31-33 calls on His followers to be courageous, no matter what!

Grow Up in Faith (#3 in a series)

Originally preached in late January, 2009

Ephesians 4:15 "But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the Head--Christ."


Why should we look at growing in faith?

Romans 5:1, Faith is the foundation of a right relationship with God.
1 Thessalonians 5:24, Because the One who calls us is Faithful.

One of the interesting new career choices today is that of "Life Coach." A life coach supposedly has it all together, can evaluate you, your goals, and where you should be in your life, and then give you the advice you need to develop fully and meet your career or other goals.

Whether or not we need 'life coaches', everyone needs others who will encourage their faith. Look at two examples from the Bible...Jonathan (in 1 Samuel 23:16) encouraged the faith of his friend David, even though it put him in personal danger, endangered his family relationships with his father and brothers, and even though he knew David was destined to fulfill the political place that others expected that Jonathan himself would hold. Isaiah (See Isaiah 7:9) sought to encourage the wavering King of Judah, Ahaz to a stronger faith in God. Ahaz foolishly rejected God's encouragement through the prophet, but this led to Isaiah's greatest prophecy--the prediction of the birth of Christ in 7:14.

Some Scriptures dealing with faith--
Habakkuk 2:1-4 encourages our faith when we do not yet see God's promises fulfilled.
Romans 1:17 shows that God's righteousness is revealed in the gospel through faith.
The entire chapter of 1 Thessalonians 5 is rich with encouragement to faith in God.
Christ Himself spoke of faith in Matthew 8:5-13 & 23-27, and in Luke 17:1-6.
1 Timothy 6:11 and 2 Timothy 1:13 are encouraging to the Christian who is pursuing growth in faith.

I'll close this post with "Planting 'P's'--Practical ways to grow your faith":
–Prayer (Mark 11:20-24)
–Precepts (2 Corinthians 5:7)
–Patterns (Hebrews 11)
–Practice (Mark 11:22)
–Persistence (James 1:3)
–Perseverance (1 Peter 1:6, James 1:2-4)
–Partners (Romans 1:12)