The Community Church: Sermons and teaching

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Morning.

Bible says that when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of God will rise up as standard. And I'm looking at the standard that says people of God, people of faith. When times at the very darkest.

Faith always shines the brightest. Now the world is shattered and staggered and, is ongoing because of all the lights that we see across the country.

But we stand upon a rock that cannot be moved. Bible says it. There's going to come a time that all things that cannot be shaken will be shaken. But here we are, folks. The people of God call by his name. Called out of darkness to walk in the light. And the people out there need to find a people who, when everybody else is falling apart, can stand firm.

Know that God is with them. People of strength was moving. God. They want people who are strong because we have God inside. People who are courageous because we have God in us. And folks, it's at times like this that our faith will shine the brightest. Amen. I want to talk to you about courage this morning. folks, I get rid of this white.

Some years ago, I was in San Diego with Pam in California. California. And we went to this big department store, and there was a book department in this big, big department store. I don't know, the pump went off looking at flocks and dresses and things like that. Oh, you. Oh, you came with me. I can't remember, but I know I went into the book department at this big department store, and there was a man behind a desk signing books.

So I was interested when the question. There were children's books. And this man's name was Baum, Frank Baum. And I discovered that this man was, I think, the great grandson of Frank Baum, the writer of the book The Wizard of Oz. well, that's one of my favorite movies. I love the Wizard of Oz movie. I think it's a great movie, the Wizard of Oz.

the book wasn't quite as good, actually. I like the film better. I like the characters in it. you know, the Tin Man, Tin Man who wanted a heart. And then there was a scarecrow who wanted a break. Well done. And then there was the other one, which was the the lion. Who wanted courage and and the great tragedy of that story is this that he's always referred to.

When you think of the book The Wizard of all of the film, the Wizard of Oz, the Cowardly Lion. Somebody say, yes, the Cowardly Lion. That's what we know him as. And yet there was in this story, time after time, things it came up against him that scared the bejesus out of him. And yet he remained strong and went through it.

And yet he's still remembered as the Cowardly Lion. I think it's so unfair. I think the guy should have been called the courageous lion.

Because he faced his fears and overcame them. I love the story. It's a great story. and the whole thing about, of courage. I've got a quote here by I think it was Nelson Mandela somewhere. Like that was it? Oh, yeah. Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandela said these words. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.

The brave person is not the one who does not feel afraid, but who conquers that fear. I love that. It's a great quote. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph of it. The brave person is not the one who does not feel afraid. But the one who conquers that fear. Anybody ever felt afraid? Because we have.

We've all felt very nervous at some time of another. but the wonderful thing about courage is this. That, it inspires other people to be courageous, which is that when you set your face to do something and accomplish things, it somehow has an effect upon those people around you. I like the story of, back in 1953, an item appeared in a medical journal and it said in this medical journal that it would be impossible for somebody to run the mile under four minutes because it would take so much oxygen.

And the human body does not have the capacity to do that. other page. The Medical Journal, 1953. Fortunately, a guy called Roger Bannister, who was a medical student, maybe haven't read that article because that year he ran the mile under four minutes. First person to do it. Isn't that fantastic? Do you know what? Within three weeks, an Australian guy does the same thing.

And within two years of a 30 people run the mile under four minutes. He's not great. You know what one person said? I'm not going to be defeated. I can do this. I can do this. And he set the standard. And suddenly the flood of people who were going to follow him see? Courage to believe something, courage to do something will inspire other people to do exactly the same thing.

Courage is contagious. When I first became a Christian, that was, 69 1969.

Don't confuse me with John. Can you edit that out?

Well, when I became a Christian all those years ago and I became part of a church, the church I was a part of. So you must not start believing in things like miracles and signs and wonders for today. Those things were for a bygone era. Well, you know, needed to kickstart the church back then, but they're not for today.

And I believe them because they knew best, didn't they? So yes. Yes. No, they didn't actually.

But then some of us started coming into contact with people who were actually seeing miracles and signs and wonders taking place, and that really upset all this awful cause I think because suddenly we thought it can happen. And you know what? We saw these people doing it and it was contagious, something in us. And if they can do that, mine, maybe I also could do that.

What they were doing was contagious. Just as the determination of Roger Bannister inspired others. So these men and women of God that we met inspired us to believe that things could be different.

Interesting thing is, Roger Bannister won the mile in just under four minutes. Does anybody know what the world record is for the mile now? I will tell you that. Tell us, Jeff, you say. All right, we'll tell you. The record at the moment stands at three minutes, 43.13 seconds, 17 seconds faster. The bannister was able to do it.

It. This guy is a Moroccan guy. He could stop and have a cup of tea, wait for Roger Bannister to calcium. I think that's amazing. You know why? Because there's people who are going to follow us, who are going to go further and faster than we've ever been, who can go and do things that we have only dreamed of.

I believe God wants to raise up a generation to go further. John David McGee to go further than we ever dreamed to do, more than we ever expected to be able to do. To see more than we've seen. You may be here this morning. You might be a young student here this morning. One of our students. And you might think, you know, that that might just be me.

Now it might just be me. It just takes one person with courage to act, to inspire a generation. You could do that. You could be someone I love. The story of Peter walking on the water. All the other disciples. You're back in the boat. But one man got out the boat and took a step of faith. And it just takes one person to get out the boat and take a step of faith.

And a whole generation can be inspired to go further. Please, God, we're going to find that among us. Courage is contagious. In a lot. In some of the first 1955, in a place called Montgomery, Alabama, America. to the left.

A lady finished work, got on a bus to go home. Now, the ordinance in that city at that time was on a bus. If the bus was full and a white person got on and a black person was sat down, the black person, no matter what sex or sex gender didn't. Mother had to stand up to allow the white person to sit down?

The white person? The front of the bus. It was a door at the back for the black people to get it off. And it was a bus stopped at a bus stop and a white person wanted to get on and the bus was full. A black person had to get off. Can't believe that. Come in.

Well, this day a lady by the name of Rosa Parks was on the bus, sat down on a white person, got on and she was asked to move. And she didn't. By staying seated, she took a stand.

Bus driver refused to continue the journey. Called the police. Police came, arrested her, and she was taken into custody. That one act of courage was contagious, and it sparked a movement that began to change a nation, one act by one courageous woman. Her church minister became involved. His name was Martin Luther King, one of the great heroes, I believe, of last century.

Like Mandela said, courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. And her courage sparked a revolution. I want to start a revolution. Anybody want to join me? Not to just fade into the wallpaper of history, but to make a difference. To say, you know, I was there. I left my footprint in the sand. I think there's something of that in every one of us is enough.

I think there's something of that in every one of us isn't up. I think there's something. I refuse to continue till you say yes. You.

See, it's not a matter of fear, because every one of us at some time will be fearful. Claiming of faith in the Bible knew what it was to be fearful. King David, a giant of the Old Testament, says in Psalm 56, when I am afraid, I put my trust in you not if I am afraid, but when I am afraid.

Get over it, folks. There's going to be scary stuff out there. But there's something in us of God that says, even in the midst of when things are scary. And we've looked around this week and saw things are getting scary. I want you to know there's got to be something in you that says, I'm going to put my trust in God.

If I look at the news, if I look at all that kind of stuff, you know, my heart can become fearful. My eyes have got to be higher than that. So I look to the skies and say, God, God, my faith is in you. When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. The Apostle Paul in the New Testament that fearless proclaim of the gospel.

He writes to the Church and Covenants and says, when I came to you, I came in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. That's the great apostle Paul. And I came to you with weakness and fear. Can you imagine him beyond the pulpit? Knees knocking, teeth chattering, hands trembling, sweat pouring. He came to them feeling feet fearful and weak.

Trembling. Just like maybe you and I do. When we go and want to share the gospel with somebody with our neighbor or something. When? When we're facing just standing up for something that we know he's wrong and we might be fearful.

But we have gotten us. And if God's in us, if God's in us, greater is he that is in us. Finish of for me. Greater is he that is in us that he that is in the world. Over and over again we find this same thing when Joshua's going to go into the Promised Land. God commands him to go in to take the land.

He says to him, I will not fail you or abandon you. And then over and over again, God says, be strong and courageous. Be strong and courageous. Be strong and courageous. Be strong and courageous. You know when you got to be courageous, you got to be courageous. When there's something scary out there. You don't need to be courageous when there's nothing to be scared of.

He's a no. Jeff.

It's interesting that God doesn't say to Joshua, I'm going to give you courage.

I'm going to make you brave. He tells Joshua to be courageous. He's already giving him all he needs. His promise, his word that God Himself is with him. All you got to do is believe it. Step out on it. Be courageous. And even with God with you, you need to be strong. And you need to be courageous.

Not all men have faith in the power of men, of paste and flower. We choose which ones we want to be. See, if you want to went to your promised land. You're going to have to be strong. And you will have to. You have to be courageous. That's why God keeps telling Joshua to be courageous. You know, the prerequisite for a miracle is an impossibility.

You want to a miracle. You, first of all, have to see the impossibility. And the impossibility can produce the miracle. The prerequisite for courage is something scary. Something that makes you fearful. I wonder what makes you fearful. I wonder if you stop for a moment. What I find scary. What's the thing that causes me to be like? Pull at my knees knocking.

My hands shake and my teeth shatter.

Let me see you. Do you need courage when there's a battle to fight? You need courage. But there's an enemy to overcome. But there's a challenge to face. When there's a fear to conquer. Somebody says the courage is fear. That said, it's as I light that.

In that moment, when the fear comes, it's God help me right now and God will.

I don't have you have heroes. Or you think of great heavyweight figures. I don't know if you have those kind of people in mind. He will come in all kinds of shapes and sizes.

You might think of Edmund Hillary climbing up Everest 1953. A lot of things happen in 53 and 54, didn't they? All those things we talked about all seemed to be happening in the early 50s. 1953 Edmund Hillary conquers Everest. You might think of him as a hero. David Livingston not pioneer, an adventurer and the guy who went and explored Africa and discovered Africa.

Great hero of mine, Florence Nightingale, founder of modern nursing and not a social reformer. Great hero. If you go to the library, you'll find loads of books written about people who going to.

Was John didn't stay up alone.

So, gentlemen, I took that up before. Just fell off. You go to the library and you'll find loads and loads of books about people like, Hilary and Nightingale Livingston and loads of other people. You'll find all those books about your heroes. But you know what I was thinking about? Heroes. I was not just thinking about people like that.

My mind went to something else. Great heroes that I think about who I've met without having to go great distances, great heroes in this church. Great heroes. You see, you can't compare the bravery of a mountain climber like Hillary with the courage and endurance it takes to raise a physically or mentally challenged child and stay positive with them, day after day after day, year after year.

It takes a hero. It takes a hero. You can't compare the missionary explorer Livingston to the one who endures, who endured the jungles of Africa. This little eight year old kid who goes to school every day and faces a bully and yet still goes. They become heroes. So you can't compare somebody like Florence Nightingale.

Pioneering nurse as a climbing wall. She was remarkable. But you can't compare that to the person who bravely gets on with life while caring for a loved one with terminal illness.

You might it now. Where you looked just above two and a half years. Caring for your wife. And he's been a hero. He both acts. Take great courage. You know you can be a hero. And the room is full of heroes. Yeah. Sometimes, you know, it's so much easier to get on a plane and to travel to distant lands and do those heroic things and have those great adventures.

Miles and miles away. But, you know, it's even harder just to stay at home and do that, which is tough and unglamorous. God wants heroes. Church needs men and women who take this stand, who in the mundane things of an ordinary things of everyday life, perform acts of courage, and they take the stand. Those who stay when others quit.

Those who stand when I leave. Those who speak. When others remain silent. Those who don't compromise to avoid embarrassment. Those who speak up for Jesus. Those who whose behavior is not determined by who is watching. Please, God, that I am the same, but I'm not behind this pulpit when I am behind this pulpit. That there's no credibility gap between those who stand here and what we're like when we're out there.

If there's any credibility gap, we have no right to stand here. God is with us. All is going on in the world right now, and God is with us and has promised never to leave us, never to forsake us. He he is. He has overcome the world. Greater is he that is in you. He that is in the world.

I guess one of the stories that everybody, whether you you're a Christian and not a Christian, to read the Bible or not. everybody knows is a story of David and Goliath. Anybody not heard the story of David and Goliath? I'm going to see you all have.

I like the story of David. Goliath. It's a great story. There's two people in this battle. There's one guy with all the right equipment to be victorious in this encounter. One guy who is already a dead cert to win. One guy who I would put my money on. To win. And the other guy is called Goliath.

I don't, you know, the smart money is on David. I know that Goliath looked very, very, very scary. I mean, this guy was three meters tall. That's nearly ten foot in all money. He's a big guy. He was wearing a helmet, bronze leg protectors, armor all around his body. The Bible tells us that he's all weighed 125 pound.

I would not even be able to stand up with that.

Javelin strapped to his back. A great big spear, like a weaver's vault in his hand. And another man was carrying his shield. This guy was formidable. He was colossal in size and incredibly intimidating. Not only his great size and army, but all his shouts and threats towards the Israelite army. He was booming out. He's Jesus. At the same time, behind him was a whole of the Philistine army.

And and added to that cacophony of noise is the noise of the knees knocking and the teeth, teeth chattering as the Israelite army behind him sounded like castanets at a flamenco dance.

And the situation that David found himself in was incredibly intimidating. But for me, the smart money is still on. David. Let me explain. Goliath is big. Goliath is strong. Goliath is dangerous. But he isn't fast. He's having to move around with all his stuff strapped to him, traveling on the back, great spear in his hand as well as his sword.

Goliath. He's going to be great and powerful. A close proximity to you. and that's why he calls out to David. Come over here and I'm going to give you the pieces. I'll give you flesh to the birds and the wild animals. He cries out. Scurvy. However, David, like many young. Healthy, healthy. Fast. Goliath would never be able to catch him as long as David kept his distance from him.

You know, the devil's scary, but you better keep your distance from him. Greater is he that is in the world, and greater is he that is in you than he did it in the world. But you better keep your distance from him. Don't get close. He will devour you. We have an enemy of our souls who wants to destroy us.

And we will not let him get close to us. He goes around like a roaring lion, seeking who he can destroy. Come here, he says.

And if you go, I get close. He will. That's why we go to live clean mouth. And we talked about it last week. Who ascends to the hill of the Lord? Those with clean hands and a pure heart. See, if you stay clean and you stay away, you're going to be saved. But if you're going to get close, you're going to be in danger.

We don't fight with physical, natural weapons, but we spiritual weapons. Powerful to pull down every Goliath that we face. So there are two types of people on this battlefield. One is a man who is a foot soldier strong, powerful, well-armed, etc. and the other man is a young guy just with a slingshot and some stones. However, David is experienced with his slingshot and stones.

He's what the shepherds used to. He used to keep all the wild animals away and everything. They were incredibly accurate. The Bible says the army of Benjamin had 700 men who could hit a hair's breadth with a slingshot. That's how accurate they were. So there's this big guy coming at you with all of his stuff on, and you're there with your Kalashnikov.

Never take a knife to a gunfight. Somebody once said. And that's how he was. See, David goes out. He's like, he's got a gun. The stopping power of a slingshot is calculated is equal to a .45 revolver. Ever see the movie? Indiana Jones movie? Well, it was in a market place. And there's all the bad guys all over the hill.

All these people around. I mean, this big guy comes out with a great big sword. Have you seen the movie? And he's waving it around? Yeah. and he looks really, really scary. And Indiana Jones, he's just said with a whip and this guy coming out to him. I think he's still buying. End of story. He's gone. I love the it's a David and Goliath story.

And that's exactly happens. That's exactly what happens.

And then what happens is this Goliath comes again to Goliath. Had never thought of before. He drop down, cuts his head off Philip's Philistine army starts running Israelite army because of the courage of one person. Because one person took a stand. Because one person dared to believe God. They suddenly start charging. And is this great victory achieved?

Why? Because one man took a stand. Courage is contagious. Was Goliath scary? Yes he was. David said, but I'm afraid. I want to trust in you. I want you to know, folks in life you will constantly encounter scary enemies and intimidating situations. But be bold and be strong, for the Lord. Your God is with you. There's a goal someone used the same day.

I feel so tempted to. People. Be strong. Yeah. See, Jesus says this in me. You may have peace. In the world. You will face Goliath. But be courageous. I have overcome the world. Greater is he that is in you, that he is in the world. If you want me to tell you of one thing that is stuck in my mind about what's taking place this week, and it's been a remarkable the image it stayed in my mouth in my mind is is on Tuesday evening, when the light started, just a few hundred yards down this road before the police turned up with all the shields and all the protective gear.

There was about 15 police people, some of whom I was still at school, a couple of little school girls, honestly, in police uniform. They seem so young and the light is just starting slowing because they had no protection and they were stood there. They were stood there. The thin blue line and everything in them said, run every natural instinct in them said, run.

But they held the line. I was so impressed. And sometimes every instinct in you natural will say, run! Or God says, take your stand. Be courageous. The Lord your God is with you. Amen.