becoming champions of faith: COurage

Most of us have heard the phrase by Franklin Delano Roosevelt: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” While this is somewhat true, fear is still very powerful for each of us. It is easier to talk about fear than it is about courage. Courage is rarely an absence of fear but it is the force that allows us to confront and move through our fear. If we look at the longer sentence in FDR’s 1933 first inaugural address it says: “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance”. His comment is based on faith or as he puts it, his “firm belief.” Faith is a source of great courage. As believers, we would not be here today without the courage of faith. We continue our sermon series on Becoming Champions of Faith and the sermon this week is Courage. All of us struggle with fear and it is hard at times to find the strength to overcome it. Our scripture this week is Hebrews 11:30-40. This contains a lot of information about the earliest believers and their courage to live into their firm belief! The writer wants us to see the power of courageous faith. There is great courage to be found in the firm belief of God’s faithfulness, God’s power and promises for each of us. This courage was not just for those early believers but it is available to us today. If you look closely at these words they not only highlight past events but also a process that can help us to find the foundation of firm belief in our living God. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, these words prevented these early believers from retreating to their old life, instead, they were renewed in their faith. Our most earnest prayer is that you will be lifted from the darkness of fear and doubt into courage and hope as you read Hebrews 11:30-40. 

Hebrews 11:30-40 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days. ³¹ By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. ³² And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, ³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions ³⁴ quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. ³⁵ Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. ³⁶ Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. ³⁷ They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated– ³⁸ the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. ³⁹ These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, ⁴⁰ since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. (NIV)