Courage
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We have an epademic in the world today.
An epademic as a result of weak people.
And the problem with being weak is how it manifests.
Weakness manifests itself as cowardice.
And cowerdice manifests itself as aggression as it seeks to hide its weakness.
Now we must note: There is a difference between weakness and meekness.
Weakness is not good. But meekness is a virtue.
Jesus discribed himself as meek
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
He tells us to be meek:
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
But what does this mean?
We ctually have a bit of a problem with this greek word “Pra-ies”.
The problem is that with many greek words in the bible we have many places they appear which helps us find context and meaning.
Pri-ies only appears 4 times in the whole bible.
And we know what it means, but there simply is not a basic english word that exists which conveys its full meaning.
Meekness is one attempt and kindness is also used.
But for this i think we look at the experts and read Vine’s full defanition:
The meaning of prautes “is not readily expressed in English, for the terms meekness, mildness, commonly used, suggest weakness and pusillanimity to a greater or less extent, whereas prautes does nothing of the kind. Nevertheless, it is difficult to find a rendering less open to objection than ‘meekness’; ‘gentleness’ has been suggested, but as prautes describes a condition of mind and heart, and as ‘gentleness’ is appropriate rather to actions, this word is no better than that used in both English Versions. It must be clearly understood, therefore, that the meekness manifested by the Lord and commended to the believer is the fruit of power. The common assumption is that when a man is meek it is because he cannot help himself; but the Lord was ‘meek’ because he had the infinite resources of God at His command.
In other words:
Weakness is the fruit of a person who cannot help themselves and is filled with cowerdice and fear.
Meekness is the fruit of a person who knows they can do all things through Christ and is filled with courage and faith.
Jesus had incredible power and even when he was suffering unjustly, look at what He said at his unjust arrest in the garden:
53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
What is Jesus telling us is frightling and awe inspireing.
he is tells us that He has the power and authority to end his own suffering whenever he wants buy divine force.
Yet, he is choosing not to.
As Vine said, Jesus is not helpless to His suffering.
So the question becomes: If Jesus is not helpless to His suffering why does he allow it?
One reason: Jesus is courageous to the responcibility the Father has given Him.
42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
Let me ask you a question:
What is more dangerously unpredictible: A confidant dog or a scared dog?
What is more likley to attak and bite?
A scared dog and a cowardly person are very alike: They are both living reactivly to the world, and they both manifest aggression to anything they deem threat.
We cannot forget that cowardice is specificaly listed, along with murder, sexual immorality and idoletry as specific sins which WILL take a person to Hell.
8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, as for murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their lot shall be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death.”
This is a strange thing, because all the other sins listed here are actions: Murder is an action, fornication is an action, lying is an action - but Cowerdice is not an action, its an attitude, its a sinful way to orientate ourself towards life.
So what is the opposite of cowerdice? Courage.
Life is hard and difficult and full of challanges, trials and tribulation, it full of uncertantity and mystry.
When Joshua saw the difficult life ahead of Him, God assured him and said:
9 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 thou goest.
So what exacally is the difference between cowerdice and courage?
Its not fear.
many people think that courageous people are not afraid and thats imply not true.
You cannot look soberly at life with all its endless possabilites for pain and not feel afraid. Its no wonder than over 350 times God has to tell us no to fear because fear is the normal default responce to seeing that each day we walk along a cliff edge of chaoes where one single slip could send us over the edge.
So how can you and I walk this dangerous, trecherous, unsure road in faith, strength and courage?
Lets ask Jesus:
Jesus, how did you walk wich such courage and strength towards a road thatr you knoew would end in a cross and such unbearible pain?
Lord what should we do?
23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Wow.
What is Jesus telling us?
Jesus is saying something so profound here church you may miss it.
Jesus is saying that we have 2 choices:
1: Get nailed to the cross against you will in helplessness
Or
2: Pick up your cross volentarily today and carry it to Galgotha in courage.
Do you know why weak people are so cowerdly?Look at what happened in the garden of Getsemanee:
Because at any moment life could attack them while they are sleeping unaware, and whne that happens they react with violence just as Peter did when he cut off the servants ear.
They are cowardly because they are victems of lifes responcibilities.
Why was Jesus so brave and gracious that he even healed the severed ear?
Because Jesus embraced His responcibility and expected the tribulation.
Let me ask you an illastrative question:
If you are standing on the pavment and a 20kg bag of sand, out of nowhere, drps onto your shoulders, what is going to happen to you? You will be knowed down.
However, if i say that the bag is coming and you brace and prepare to catch it, what will happen to you?
Its the same weight, its he same bag and its still heavy, but just by embracing the fact that you have to catch it, it will not take you out.
Jesus said:
33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Translation: Life is going to throw 20kg bags of sand at you throughout your whole life.
These bags are the responcibility of our lifes.
There is a bag to honour your parents. A bag when you get married, more bags when you hav chiuldren, bags regarding your job, bags when you need to provide, bags when those you love or yourself get sick.....