Courage in the midst of chaos

(0:00) Today I’m going to talk about courage in the midst of chaos. We live in a world that is so full (0:08) of trouble. Today a lot of people are, you know, losing it.

When we were growing up we never (0:17) heard anything, you never heard the term, you know, mental illness, depression. We heard of, (0:24) but not as much as we do now. And as far as suicides go, a person smiling one day and the (0:31) next day you hear they’ve gone, they’ve taken their lives.

Why? Why? Why is all this happening? (0:37) I believe that God’s word will strengthen you today. So open your Bibles with me to Psalm 46 (0:43) and verses 1 to 3. Psalm 46 verses 1 to 3. God is our refuge and strength and a very present (0:54) help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed and though the (1:00) mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, (1:07) and though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.

Selah. So we live in a chaotic world. (1:13) If you open the newspapers, the headlines scream of wars, natural disasters, moral decline, (1:19) and personal uncertainty.

But many times chaos is just not out there. (1:27) Chaos often comes into our own homes and our hearts. You look at many families, (1:35) they’re smiling on the outside, but on the inside there’s a lot of chaos and trouble.

(1:41) So many difficulties. Hidden behind those smiles are a lot of pain and hurt. (1:49) And sometimes people can’t take it anymore.

They either leave this world or they walk (1:54) out of their marriage and just quit and give up on life itself. But the Bible teaches us, (2:00) and we learn today from God’s word, how we can be a strong and courageous people. (2:07) You know, I often hear Christians say, oh faith, faith, faith.

But I’ll tell you something, (2:13) faith is not proved when everything is going well. Faith is proved and faith is evident (2:23) in the dark hour. When you’re going through the deepest, darkest hour of your life, (2:31) that is when it’s possible to identify whether you have faith or not.

A lot of people think (2:40) that faith means blessing. No, faith is not blessing. A lot of people think because I’m (2:48) blessed, God approves of me.

No, not necessarily. The Israelites had food on their table for 40 (2:59) years without working. Their clothes didn’t get old.

Their shoes never wore out. None of them (3:10) were feeble or sick. And you know what the Bible says, God thought about them, but with many of (3:16) them, God was not well pleased.

So it doesn’t mean because we are blessed that God approves of us. (3:28) We are blessed because of God’s mercy and goodness to us. Because our blessing is not dependent on (3:35) our good works.

It is dependent on the love and the mercy of God. And so when we talk about having (3:44) faith, I believe that it’s most evident in the courage that we show as we face life without (3:54) telling people, I’ll show you who I am. And then they speak a lot of foreign languages and (4:01) and curse somebody else.

You know what I mean? Have you heard Christians say that? (4:06) Pastor, they are pushing me. You see, I’ll show them who I am. Well, they’re showing their true colors.

(4:13) But if we are to show anyone who we are, we must show them that we are more like Jesus. (4:19) Every day of our lives, that’s what’s most important. You know, when the father looked at (4:24) his son, our heavenly father, without Jesus having done any miracles, Jesus hadn’t even begun his (4:32) ministry.

But you know what the father said about him? This is my beloved son in whom I’m well (4:38) pleased. So God is looking at us to be a people who will not just preach about faith, (4:47) but know the true meaning of what it means to live our faith in everyday life. (4:53) You can tell a person when trouble comes, not in the good times, it’s always in the difficult times.

(5:00) So if you’re carrying chaos in your heart and in your family today, (5:05) let me define what chaos and courage means. Chaos means disorder or confusion and fear of the (5:14) unknown because you don’t know what’s going to happen next. And sometimes, you know, they say (5:19) when it rains, it pours, that seems to happen.

Everything seems to go wrong. But don’t quit, (5:25) don’t give up because today you will learn from God’s word. If you are in that place today, (5:29) you can apply God’s word to your life.

The word of the Lord reminds us that in the midst of chaos, (5:37) we can have courage. Now let me share with you what the definition of courage is. What is courage? (5:46) It’s not somebody stamping their feet and yelling and shouting, come out in Jesus’ name and no, (5:52) no.

When Jesus commanded demons to go out, he didn’t shout, yell, stomp his feet and jump. (5:59) He just said, go. That’s authority.

That’s authority. You know, courage is not the absence (6:14) of fear. It is the presence of faith.

You know, when you think of our soldiers who stand on the (6:23) borders defending our country, you think they’re not afraid? They’re well trained, I’m sure, (6:29) we know. But the few soldier friends that I have, when I’ve spoken to them, they said, (6:34) yes, there is a fear in our belly. But greater than that fear is that courage, (6:39) that we will not backtrack, but we will only move forward.

That’s courage. (6:45) That’s courage. You know, when trouble happens, they say you have fair weather friends.

(6:53) The friends, when trouble comes, who walk away from you, they’re not the true friends, (6:57) but the ones who remain with you. Remember, Peter said to the Lord, (7:01) even though everyone else denies you, I won’t deny you. And who was among the first to deny the Lord? (7:09) Peter.

Peter denied the Lord. So courage is not the absence of fear. So if you’re afraid today, (7:16) that’s normal.

If you’re afraid about the future, if you don’t know what’s going to happen next, (7:23) we all go through that. But recognize this, it means standing firm, not because life is calm, (7:31) but because God is constant in our lives. So courage means to stand and not to run in battle.

(7:39) That’s what it means. Courage means to face whatever comes our way. Courage means to stand (7:45) for our convictions and what we believe.

So when you go through trouble, don’t ask, where is God? (7:53) Don’t worry, God’s in the same place on his throne. When you go through trouble, don’t say, (7:58) why is this happening to me? But instead say, God, all these years, I’ve read your word. You said, (8:07) when you pass through the flames, you will not be burned.

No, it doesn’t mean we put our finger in (8:11) the candle flame. But it means that through all the difficult times, we’ll be strong and courageous. (8:22) So we know that chaos comes no matter what to our lives, but courage is when our confidence (8:29) is anchored in God himself.

We trust you, Lord. I don’t know what’s happening, but I trust you, (8:36) Lord. I will not run, I will not complain, I will not grumble, I will not blame anybody else, (8:42) but I will wait on thee.

For they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. (8:48) They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary.

They shall walk (8:54) and not faint. We know those words, but in the dark hour, how do we respond? (9:02) Is it with faith? Is it with courage? The first point, the reality of chaos, (9:09) chaos is a part of our human experience. Israel stood between Pharaoh’s army and the Red Sea, (9:16) you know, they were, you know, wondering what’s going to happen.

They can see the army chasing (9:20) them, the Red Sea before them. Imagine what a time that would have been in their lives, (9:25) and maybe today in your life you’re cornered from the front, from the back, from all sides you’re (9:30) surrounded. Let your faith rise up.

Now is the time to prove your faith. We often look at faith (9:38) as doing wonderful miracles and all of that. Miracles are just a part of our lives, (9:46) but I’ll tell you something, miracles don’t prove faith.

Miracles don’t prove faith. Am I saying (9:57) that? You know what the Bible says, in that day many will say, Lord in your name we raised the (10:01) dead. In your name we cast out demons.

In your name we did this. In your name we did that. You (10:07) know what Jesus will say to them? I never knew you.

So if there’s anything that pleases the heart of (10:15) God, it’s not what we do, but who we are. That’s what pleases God. Every time you have an opportunity (10:24) to curse somebody who you heard spoke ill about you, and you don’t speak ill about them, you please (10:30) God.

Sometimes people say, they don’t know who I am pastor. I am telling you I’ll give them a piece (10:38) of my mind. Don’t.

Soon you won’t have your own mind. If you keep giving away pieces every little (10:44) while, it’s not what we do that pleases God. Of course it does, but what’s greater than what we do (10:56) for God is who we are in Christ.

Because the disciples, you see that’s the thing that power (11:05) does. You know when I think of Jesus, he’s truly the king of kings. You know why? When he came as (11:13) the king of kings, he didn’t demand that people pay attention to him and bow down and worship him.

(11:21) But he knelt down and he washed the feet of his disciples. What a king. What a king we serve.

(11:29) What a savior we serve. And that’s the example we need to follow. His example.

And so the (11:38) you know Pharaoh’s army was behind chasing the Israelites. The Red Sea was before them. Another (11:45) time the disciples were battling a storm in their boat.

Paul sat in prison. The apostle Paul sat (11:51) in prison and you know what he said? Where are you God? Did he say that? What did he say? Rejoice (12:00) in the Lord always. And again I say rejoice.

How many times have you heard Christians say, (12:08) Pasha I never hurt an ant also. But I don’t know why all this is happening to me. Which means that (12:14) you believe you’re blessed because you’re a good person.

No. Trouble comes to everyone whether you’re (12:21) good, bad, wicked or evil. Comes to everyone.

But the Bible teaches us how we need to face the difficult (12:28) times of life. As we look around us in the world today we find chaos everywhere in the world. (12:36) Broken families, financial instability, sudden sickness, global crises, wars, natural disasters, disorder.

(12:48) Matthew 24 verses 3 to 9 says, and as he sat upon the Mount of Olives the disciples came unto him (12:54) privately saying, tell us when shall all these things be and what shall be the sign of your coming (13:00) and of the end of the world. And Jesus answered and said unto them, take heed that no man deceive you. (13:07) For many shall come in my name saying, I am Christ and shall deceive many.

And you shall hear of wars (13:12) and rumors of wars, see that you be not troubled. For all these things must come to pass. Jesus said (13:18) chaos is coming.

For all these things must come to pass but the end is not yet. Which means that we (13:24) need to stand our ground and face the chaos with courage. And Jesus says in verse 7, for nation (13:33) shall rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom and there shall be famines and pestilences (13:38) and in diverse places.

All these are the beginning of sorrows, not the end of the world. (13:44) The beginning and if we are not a courageous and strong people in our faith to stand and face the (13:52) trials, then we’ll be swept away in the chaos. And listen to verse 9, and Jesus said they shall (14:02) deliver you up to be afflicted and shall kill you and you shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

(14:11) Chaos may shake us but it doesn’t have to break us. Think of a tree in a storm, the wind shake it (14:19) violently but its roots are deep, it still stands. You look at the coast of Goa, so many coconut trees (14:27) but you look at those some of those coconut trees are hanging over the edge of the water (14:32) for decades some of them and they don’t fall because their roots are deep.

If our roots are (14:39) deep in Christ, we can endure the storm. The second point, the source of courage. (14:48) Where does real courage come from? It does not come from us, it comes from God because we must (14:55) take courage because God has promised, I will never leave you, I will never forsake you.

(15:02) When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were in the fiery furnace, there was a fourth person with them (15:08) and that person was Christ himself. In Daniel 3, 16 to 17, the bible says Shadrach, Meshach and (15:15) Abednego answered and said to the king, you know in those days if you even back answered the king, (15:21) he could kill you. They refused to compromise their faith and they said to the king, (15:28) they said to the king, oh Nebuchadnezzar, we’re not afraid to answer you in this matter.

(15:33) If it be so, the God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace (15:39) and he will deliver us out of your hand, oh king. Notice that they were faced with death (15:46) but they were not afraid. Not afraid of death, not afraid of the king and in Daniel 3, it says (15:54) verses 24 to 25, then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished and he rose up in haste (15:59) and he spoke and said unto his counselors, did not we cast three men bound into the midst (16:03) of the fire? They answered and said of the king, true oh king, he answered and said, I see four men (16:11) loose walking in the midst of the fire and they have no hurt and the form of the fourth is like (16:17) the son of God.

Nebuchadnezzar saw Jesus. Why does the bible give us these instances in history (16:29) of when God intervened in the affairs of men? Why does the bible give it to us? (16:34) So that we will catch a picture of where God is when we are in similar situations. (16:42) If you’re in the fire today, God is with you.

Don’t quit, don’t give up, stand strong and say (16:53) this is where God wants me to be. Everything is falling around me but I will stand in Christ. (16:58) I will do what’s right and what I need to do, not what I feel like doing or don’t feel like doing.

(17:06) I will do what God’s word tells me to do. That’s courage. You know some people say I want to die (17:16) for God but guess what, it’s more difficult to live for God than to die for him.

If you die, (17:23) you have no more problems, everything over. So living, that’s why Jesus said pick up your cross, (17:31) die daily. Pick up your cross and follow me and Paul was saying I die daily.

To what? Not physically (17:38) but to himself. Nebuchadnezzar saw Jesus in the old testament. Isn’t that amazing? In first (17:46) Corinthians 10 1 to 4, the bible says moreover brethren I would not that you should be ignorant (17:52) how all our fathers were under the cloud and all passed through the sea and were all baptized (17:58) into Moses in the cloud and in the sea and they did all eat the same spiritual meat and did all (18:04) drink the same spiritual drink for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them and that (18:09) rock was Christ.

So if you are in the wilderness, if you’re in the fire, this word is for you. You are (18:17) not alone. God is with you.

You know what the bible says, after having done all, I will stand. (18:29) I’ll stand. I will not back out, I will not retreat.

You know the armor that the christian is (18:35) given, the spiritual armor, we’re given the helmet of salvation, breastplate of righteousness, you (18:40) know sword of the spirit, belt of truth, you know we’re given all of the armor, there’s no covering (18:44) for the back. It’s because we never retreat. We stand our ground and we stand for the Lord (18:52) and God will come through on our behalf.

There was three young men who were thrown into the fire. (18:58) He said Lord if we must die for you, we’ll die. But if you want us to live, then nobody can touch us.

(19:06) They never ran, they never hid. They stood and Jesus showed up. Guess what? Jesus is going to show up for you.

(19:18) Because he’s a faithful God. Don’t panic, don’t quit, don’t panic, hold on. (19:27) We serve a faithful God and so God gave an unbelieving king a glimpse of himself, (19:36) how much more he’ll give his children.

Another person that was absolutely courageous (19:42) in the bible was king David. You know David’s courage didn’t come automatically. (19:46) It developed over a period of time through battles that grew in intensity.

That’s how David (19:53) discovered or developed his courage. As a little boy he faced these battles. He didn’t run, he didn’t (19:59) refuse to go into the fields to graze the cattle.

But you know what he told the king? I have fought (20:05) with the lion and the bear and I have slew them. I slew them. So he faced, God trained him for battle (20:13) until he faced Goliath.

And we know what happened in that story. David was naturally (20:21) disposed to courage because of his association with the Lord. Just as children are naturally (20:26) disposed to take on the nature of their parents.

When we know who God is truly in our lives, (20:33) we too will be that way. You know what it’s called? The law of association. (20:37) Because we walk with God, we know who he is.

While everyone else trembled, everyone else wanted (20:44) to run away, David stood. And the bible says he ran towards Goliath. It tells us of what substance (20:57) he was made.

You know Joshua 1.9 says this. Have I not commanded you? Now it’s not a suggestion (21:07) from the Lord. It’s a command from God.

He says be strong and of good courage. Why good courage? (21:14) Because it comes from a good God. And it says be not afraid.

Be not afraid. You know when Jesus was (21:22) in the boat, these guys were trembling. You know what they said to Jesus? The disciples, they said (21:27) don’t you care for us, we’re going to die.

And Jesus instead of sympathizing with them and saying (21:33) don’t worry, I’m here, everything’s going to be all right. You know what he said to them? (21:38) Where is your faith? Where’s your faith? They had no answer to that. (21:48) And guess what? If Peter had to apply for a job today, in the background check only, he would (21:54) have been disqualified.

Peter failed Jesus until the very end. But when Jesus rose from the dead, (22:03) he gave him the keys to the kingdom of heaven. God doesn’t judge somebody on what they (22:12) do or perform or what they’ve achieved.

He looks for who people are on the inside. (22:21) And God saw in Peter’s heart a desire to love and serve the Lord. But he also knew Peter was (22:28) not a very steady man, not a very courageous man.

He had no courage. He said Jesus? Who’s Jesus? (22:34) Denied him. Ran away.

And yet when Jesus rose from the dead, the first person he went to, (22:43) or rather the second person, was to Peter and to the disciples and to say to Peter, (22:49) Peter, I give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. What a God we serve. And then Peter learned (22:56) to be courageous.

When he died, he said don’t bury me in the same position, crucify me in the (23:03) same position as my savior, but crucify me upside down. That’s what history records, the way he died. (23:11) How did that happen? Because he knew God was with him.

And God is with you wherever you are today, (23:16) whatever you are going through. Praise the Lord in the midst of your suffering. (23:22) Bless his name in the midst of the battle.

Can you imagine when God said to Jehoshaphat, (23:27) get ready and go out to fight this battle. And Jehoshaphat was getting the soldiers ready (23:33) and said, listen, sharpen your swords, pull your helmets down, strap it up, (23:37) make sure your chest plate is okay. And God says, where’s the choir? And the choir leader says, for (23:45) what? Says, you are leading the battle.

Can you imagine them facing the enemy in front of the army (23:52) and somebody saying, what note is the first song? And somebody says, it’s on G. (24:02) With quivering voices, they’re all trying to get G, G, nobody can because they’re so scared. (24:10) And God puts the choir before the army. And it’s a good thing they didn’t have to sing a long song, (24:20) in that fear they would have forgotten all the words.

But he said, blessed be the Lord, (24:30) bless the name of the Lord, praise the Lord for his mercy endures forever. That’s all, (24:36) praise the Lord for his mercy endures forever. And so God commands us, be of good courage, (24:43) be strong and of good courage.

Don’t be afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for God is with you (24:49) wherever you go. Remember that Joshua faced the great unknown after Moses’ death. (24:58) God commanded him to be courageous because his presence was with him.

And God’s promises always (25:06) anchor us when everything is unstable. So hold on to the promises of God. In 2nd Timothy 1.7, (25:13) it says, for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind.

(25:20) God the Holy Spirit strengthens us from the inside. So be strong in the Lord. Courage (25:28) isn’t theory for us, it shows up in how we live.

And that’s why in Ephesians 6.10-13, the Bible (25:36) says, finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the whole (25:43) armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against (25:49) flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the (25:54) darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Wherefore, take unto (26:00) yourself the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand in that evil day. And having done (26:05) all to stand, focus on the Lord, focus on his promises. And that’s why the Bible says, (26:15) be careful for nothing in Philippines, but in everything by prayer and supplication, (26:20) with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.

And the God of peace, (26:25) which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (26:32) Worship the Lord in your chaos. You know why? Because worship shifts your eyes from chaos (26:40) to Christ.

Surround yourself with people of faith and love for the Lord, because courage grows (26:48) when you put your trust in the Lord. And the reward of courage is that you will have peace (26:54) in the midst of your chaos. The Lord is the light, and my light and my salvation, (27:01) of whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? (27:08) Choose faith over fear, courage over compromise, and Christ over chaos.

Blessed be his name.