Standing Firm: Courage and Faith in Adversity

1) "But the reality is, is that courage is something that you exercise in the face of fear, because you have a higher value. And so instead of hearing this epic story in chapter three here and thinking, wow, I could never do this. I want to read through this story and look at how we're all called in one way or another to live with this same kind of strength and courage. And no, hear me, hear me. This is not going to be just a call to boldness. Okay. Follow. In fact, most people confuse boldness with brashness. Like they mistake truth. courage for insecure posturing and ego. This happens a lot in this world. And so this morning, I want you to see that the courage that these three teenagers demonstrate is the fruit of their abiding faith, even in Jesus Christ, as the way and the truth and the life." [08:17] (62 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2) "If you get nothing else, pretty straightforward, real courage is the fruit of abiding in Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life. We just sang about it. Now we're going to talk about it and see how these three did it. All right, let's dive in. Quick context. Babylon, ancient kingdom, has conquered God's people, Israel, and they've taken these teenagers of royal and noble birth of the tribe of Judah into captivity in a land that's not their own. They're sojourning as exiles in a land that's not their own in Babylon. But God makes it clear to these captives through the prophet Jeremiah not to hide as a subculture nor rage and condemn as an anti -culture, but to live as agents of redemption, a cross -culture of hope for the hopeless, lights in the dark, agents of reconciliation and redemption, transforming Babylon from the inside out through living hope in a hopeless and hostile world." [09:54] (67 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3) "The good news of Jesus Christ is that although I could never measure up, when I stand before the throne of heaven, I dare not hand him my resume but I will point to Jesus and say thank you. That's the gospel and the world doesn't know it. That's the good, like my faith is not in my works, good or bad. My faith is in Christ alone and so if your faith is in Christ, your hope is alive. 10, it's a 10. It's not a nine. It's not, it's a 10 because it's not about you. It's about what's been done for you. The question is, do you believe it? The question is not, are you good enough? Do you believe you're enough? It's not even about, is your faith enough? It's not about the quantity even of your faith but the object of your faith in Christ alone. That's what will transform you from the inside out and so I pray that if anyone asks you that question, I pray you can sing out with a confident 10, not because you're good enough but because you believe Jesus is." [29:22] (74 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4) "The invitation to follow Jesus is an invitation to surrender to redemption, not condemnation. If you are in Christ, the struggle does not define you. Jesus does. It's not an excuse to indulge. It's his kindness that leads to repentance and to partner with others in a world full of struggle and sin. So if you're not in Christ, hear this. It doesn't start by being perfect. Okay? It starts by acknowledging that you're not perfect. This is for everybody. That you stand condemned, not because of any one sin, but as a sinner in need of the grace of God that's available in Christ alone. That's the true narrative of redemption. So we're not raging and we're not hiding. We're redeeming because love compels us to testify. And to stand." [45:47] (71 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5) "The calling is not to rage nor hide, but to redeem, to fix our eyes on Jesus and the true gospel. The narrative of hope and redemption, because Babylon isn't just the enemy, they're also the mission. Nebuchadnezzar was as much a puppet as he was a perpetrator, and Jesus died to redeem those who were nailing him to the cross. Got to keep that front and center. But we can stand and we can celebrate those who do stand. In fact, the vote was four to five, which means there were four school board members who voted. Voted against the resolution, and they were attacked for it. In fact, from the meeting that I saw in the video, the only people who said anything only attacked those who didn't vote for the resolution." [48:23] (48 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


6) "The good life is the life leveraged for the kingdom of heaven. This is the good life. Jesus said the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come that you may have life and life more abundant. It's not necessarily an easy life, but it is full of joy and meaning and the glory of God. So the lowercase g gods continue to flatter and point only to self -centeredness. You see this? Oh, king, live forever. You're the best. Da -da -da -da -da -da. The god of money, the god of comfort, the god of power, control, sensuality, sexual immorality, it's all like a giant golden me statue that everyone should bow to. It's... the doctrine of the demonic. There is a reason why Nebuchadnezzar correlates the worship of his image with the worship of his gods. So the doctrine of his gods was hollow flattery, self -glory, ego, pride, because all of that will ultimately set you up for an eternal fall because the thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy. But true meaning, true joy is found in the life, the abundant life, leveraged for the glory and kingdom of heaven. Abide in the way, the truth, and the life. This is where true strength and courage comes from, even not necessarily from the fire, but deliverance may come often through the fire and even the testimony to those who witness and see." [51:29] (94 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)